#Marc Appreciation Week

[hockeyboistrash]

Marc-André Fleury (#29) - Minnesota Wild

[mclqren]

THE LECLERC CHRONICLES ★ F1 GRID

PAIRING ✦ charles leclerc x fem!younger sister!reader ; f1 grid x fem!leclerc!reader

SUMMARY ✦ you're the younger sister of charles leclerc, and your relationship with the rest of the f1 grid has the internet going crazy [ SMAU ]

WARNINGS ✦ cursing, use of the word 'slut'

NOTES ✦ let's pretend the dog i used looks relatively like leo!! reader is 22 years old, and the youngest leclerc sibling. the fc i've used is lexi jayde, but feel free to picture whoever you want! my requests are closed. i acc love writing for this series no joke.

SERIES ✦ the leclerc chronicles masterlist ; previous part ; next part

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liked by charles_leclerc, maxverstappen1, and 745,109 others

tagged alexandrasaintmleux

yourusername to summarise: these sunglasses were the best investment, i am THE GOAT at bowling, and im planning on stealing alex from my brother. 😘

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user1 Y/NNN MY FAV LECLERC

user2 SO REALLL

user3 how are you not jet lagged rn

yourusername believe me i am (can't wait for japan though!)

user4 so like does she work orrrr

user5 she's an influencer babe?

charles_leclerc that's my girlfriend??

yourusername not anymoreee!!

alexandrasaintmleux im sorry baby, i didnt want you to find out this way 😔

charles_leclerc this isn't fair ☹️☹️

yourusername boo hoo life's not fair mate get over it

landonorris pretty sure i beat you at bowling though???

oscarpiastri so did i??

yourusername listen yeah the australian bowling lanes are a bit wonky so that's why i lost. otherwise i would've owned BOTH OF YOU

lilyzneimer i beat y/n too but i love her too much to be rude to her 🩷

yourusername this is why ur my favorite lily, instead of ur rat of a boyfriend & his teammate

landonorris im sorry?

yourusername BOO MCLAREN 👎👎 FORZA FERRARI ❤️❤️

charles_leclerc you are awful at bowling y/n but FORZA FERRARI ❤️

maxverstappen1 the one thing you could probably beat me at ☹️

yourusername get used to it verstappen 😘 LECLERC 🔛🔝

maxverstappen1 yeah but who's won 3 f1 championships 🤔

yourusername watch yeah put me in a racecar and you're officially done mr verstappen ‼️

liked by charles_leclerc, landonorris, and 801,333 others

yourusername ticked another city off the bucket list today! 愛してるよ東京 🩷 ( i love you tokyo )

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user6 Y/N IN JAPAN WOOHOOO

user7 seeing y/n in japan makes me so happy idk

user8 she's living her best life fr!!

charles_leclerc the second photo was taken moments before disaster 😘

georgerussell63 WHAT HAPPENED

yourusername charles marc hervé perceval leclerc don't you dare.

charles_leclerc she dropped her sandwich in the koi pond and they all ate it 🤷‍♂️

yourusername WHY ARE YOU EXPOSING ME CHARLES. IT WAS EMBARRASSING ENOUGH. FUCK YOU.

georgerussell63 that's not THAT bad y/n but also your name is so long charles??

charles_leclerc tell me about it ☹️

yukitsunoda loved getting sushi with you y/n!!

yourusername YUKIII WE NEED TO DO IT AGAIN i swear you know all the best spots

landonorris sushi 🤮

yourusername mr norris you have the palate of a five year old boy now shut up before i remove your ipad privileges ❤️

logansargeant third pic goes harddd wonder who took it 😍

yourusername thanks logie much appreciated babes 💋💋

liked by charles_leclerc, pierregasly, and 856,210 others

tagged charles_leclerc, pierregasly

yourusername last slide is very much true, coming from a very credible source (me). loved being in japan this week, すぐに戻ってきます ❤️ ( i'll be back soon )

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user9 sometimes i forget that y/n is monegasque as well

user10 NO REAL

user11 THE RED THEMEEE LOVE!!

user12 the last slide HELPPP

user13 everyone say THANK YOU Y/N for the charles crumbs

user14 THANK YOU Y/N WE LOVE AND APPRECIATE YOU MORE THAN YOU KNOW 💋

charles_leclerc the last slide y/n 🤣

yourusername @/pierregasly my favorite bromance 👊

pierregasly thanks for the love y/n 🤣❤️

landonorris photo credits? 📷☹️

yourusername not needed after the little stint you pulled today ☝️

oscarpiastri lets normalise giving context 😊😊😊

yourusername someone (naming no names) CHEATED at uno.

landonorris I DIDNT KNOW YOU COULDNT KEEP CARDS FOR SAFEKEEPING

yourusername IN WHAT GAME CAN YOU KEEP CARDS FOR SAFEKEEPING??

oscarpiastri yeah...the no photo creds was deserved

yourusername

( caption one: ferrari girls on film 🏎️ + tags | caption two: to all the haters saying i can't bowl, guess who just fucking won!! @/charles_leclerc you are a WEAK opponent 👎 )

liked by charles_leclerc, maxverstappen1, and 799,012 others

tagged charles_leclerc, lec

yourusername i hereby declare that this ice cream brand is officially y/n certified (coming from ice cream's no.1 fan). now go support my brother or wtv 🍦😜

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user15 AWWW Y/N SUPPORTING CHARLES

user16 my fav siblings ever 🫶🫶

user17 THE ICE CREAM LOOKS SO NICE CANT WAITT TO BUY

charles_leclerc thanks for the free advertisement y/n 😊😊

yourusername you're welcome cha!! (i'll act like you didn't ask me to do this 😊)

charles_leclerc shhh y/n that's meant to be a secret!

yourusername whoops?? 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

landonorris if you advertise my quadrant merch in the future i'll give you a papaya paddock pass? 👐👐

yourusername unfortunately y/n leclerc's services extend to that of her immediate family only. if you have any issues with the above, don't message me about them!

landonorris why are you speaking like someone else y/n

yourusername so i sound more fancy

alexandrasaintmleux something delicious is in this post and it's not the ice cream 🤤

yourusername MY WIFE 😘😘

charles_leclerc not the public flirting AND being rude about my ice cream ☹️☹️

yourusername hahahaha sucks to be you rn 🫵

liked by charles_leclerc, lilymhe, and 901,221 others

yourusername "i've only had leo for a day and a half, but if anything happened to him, i would kill everyone in this room and then myself"

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user18 Y/N IS A B99 FAN CONFIRMED??

user19 THE BEST SHOWWW

user20 LEO IS THE CUTESTTT

user21 auntie y/n babysitting omg 🥺🥺

yourusername stop it rn auntie makes me sound so old 😔😔

user21 OMG SHE REPLIED?!

charles_leclerc my baby 🥺

yourusername im planning on stealing him from you at some point 😘

charles_leclerc im sorry?? first my girlfriend now my dog??

yourusername stay on high alert charles nothing is safe around me 🚨🚨

lilymhe cutie 😉😉

yourusername YOUUUU!!

alex_albon the dog's cuter

yourusername 'the dog' has a NAME albon, and you're just jealous your girlfriend prefers me to you!

liked by charles_leclerc, maxverstappen1, and 822,122 others

yourusername 上海之夜 🌃 ( shanghai nights )

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user22 Y/N IN SHANGHAI FOR THE GP??

user23 I LOVE YOU Y/NNNN

user24 does she go to every race?

user25 she said on an interview once that she tries to attend every race & flies with her brother (& sometimes his girlfriend alex) whenever she does go to them! she couldn't make jeddah this year because she had other commitments at the time, but she tries to go to most of them!

user26 Y/N LECLERC IS THAT A MAN IN UR SECOND PIC??

user27 SOFT LAUNCH MAYBEEE??

charles_leclerc y/n i don't recognise that second pic? 🤔🤔

yourusername charles calm down it's literally a friend

charles_leclerc why not tag him then??

yourusername as a nice FRIEND, i actually value his life so im trying to save him from you, arthur and lorenzo ❤️

lance_stroll I MISS YOU

lance_stroll this is marilou by the way ive lost my own phone 😔

yourusername MARILOUUU MY ANGELLL I LOVE YOU!! leave ur boyfriend for me

lance_stroll y/n im back what is this.

yourusername idc about you tell marilou to come over

iamrebeccad in awe of you forever 🤩

yourusername love you becca ❤️

imessages ( y/n )

maxverstappen1

( caption: pov - mr world champion x3 gets his phone robbed by a 22 year old girl who enjoys harassing people on the daily 😘 [...] @/yourusername FOLLOW ME NOWWWW (please) )

yourusername

( caption: me when max asks me why i stole his phone, promoted my instagram account and then left [...] @/maxverstappen1 sorry about that 😬💗 )

imessages ( y/n )

liked by charles_leclerc, landonorris, and 800,100 others

yourusername cali this week, miami next ✈️

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user28 i swear i'd sell my soul to live your life y/n

user29 she's actually stunninggg

user30 Y/NNN MY ANGEL FR

user31 hottest leclerc (real)

georgerussell63 you after stalking me and carmen to california??

landonorris SORRY?

yourusername okay guys lets clear up the rumours!! 😁😁 i actually got invited to an EVENT in california, and george and carmen happened to be there, so like yes, i have been with them but i did NOTTT stalk them guys im not about that lifestyle

georgerussell63 yeah but like how do i know you're not watching me while i sleep 🤔

yourusername that's the whole beauty of it, you'll never EVER know 😁

carmenmmundt come over please george is annoying me

yourusername omw bbg 😘😘

georgerussell63 betrayal 101

alexandrasaintmleux missing you rn 😔😔

charles_leclerc you're literally with me right now??

alexandrasaintmleux yeah and im missing your sister??

yourusername I LOVE YOU ALEX im seeing you soon trust

logansargeant come to miami quicker you promised i could show you all the best spots :(

yourusername I SWEAR IM ON MY WAY LOGANNN

logansargeant

( caption: i let y/n in my house and the first thing she does is pull out her diary to document our day [...] @/yourusername least you could do is say "thanks for letting me in" ☹️ )

liked by charles_leclerc, oscarpiastri, and 835,100 others

tagged logansargeant

yourusername bro said "i know a spot" and took me to a lake.

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user32 THE CAPTION SCREAMINGGG

user33 that's so logan i actually cant HELP

user34 the second pic 🤣

user35 y/n after third wheeling:

charles_leclerc so this is why you wouldn't go on a walk with me

yourusername maybe i shouldve gone on that walk idk, logan is a bit of a reckless boat driver

logansargeant IM NOT??

yourusername logan babe, we were coming up to a rock and you shouted 'land ahoy', i have reason to be scared ❤️

oscarpiastri HELP LAND AHOY?? ARE YOU A PIRATE LOGAN

logansargeant IT WAS A JOKE OKAY PARDON ME FOR MY HUMOR

yourusername 'pardon me' aren't we getting posh!

logansargeant dont lie you had a great time

yourusername define "great time"...because i sat there and sunbathed for like three hours while you caught a couple of 'beauties'

logansargeant and then you ate one of those beauties for dinner??

yourusername best part of the entire thing your mom makes a mean fish yum yum 😋😋

user36 AW SHE WENT TO HIS HOUSE

liked by charles_leclerc, landonorris, and 900,221 others

tagged landonorris, charles_leclerc, maxverstappen1

yourusername LANDO NOWINS BRCOMES LANDO WIQH WINSSSS 😁😁🏆🏆 so hqppy for you rihht now, and for max & charles and their podium!! ❤️

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user37 reason no.1209212 as to why y/n is the best:

user38 THIS POST AWWW

user39 the way she's so proud of him and her brother 🥺🥺

user40 and max!!

landonorris couldn't have a post without charles and max featuring huh 😔

yourusername unfortunately charles IS my brother, and max IS my friend as well, so im legally obliged to celebrate with both of them too

landonorris yeah but...my first win ☹️

yourusername next win trust i'll dedicate an entire post to you babes ❤️

charles_leclerc the spelling y/n 🤣🤣

yourusername I WAS DRUNK OKAY BLAME MAX

maxverstappen1 BLAME ME HUH

yourusername YOU GOT ME DRUNK MATE

charles_leclerc absolutely shocking behaviour from a world champion

yourusername RIGHT??

maxverstappen1 how come i never get these sort of posts when i win

yourusername would you like one next time maxie?? 😁

maxverstappen1 please 😔

yourusername watch its coming 🔥🔥🔥

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TAGS ✦ @willowpains ; @landossainz ; @charlesgirl16 ; @mellowarcadefun ; @bearryyyy ; [ respond under this post OR the main page for this series to be added to the taglist for 'the leclerc chronicles'! ]

[aqlstar]

I feel like not enough people have appreciated that the official JVP Instagram account literally uploaded whitewashed terrorism propaganda.

Like they just took a PFLP (US designated FTO since 1997) poster and scrubbed the PFLP logo…

(No, I don’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of all propaganda posters ever published by the PFLP; I only clocked this one because the unscrubbed version was circulating on some SJP Instagram accounts a few weeks earlier. )

Anyway this means that someone at JVP saw the poster, knew the logo was not okay to share, purposefully erased the logo, and then uploaded it.

Every time JVP’s been called out for posting content with terrorist logos before, they’ve claimed they didn’t realize that what they’d uploaded was a terrorist symbol and quickly taken the posts down.

You can’t claim you didn’t know you were sharing terrorist propaganda if you knew you needed to remove the logo in order to share it.

Edit- this poster was originally designed by Marc Rubin aka Jihad Mansour and published by the PFLP in 1987; you can see the original listed for auction and on Marc Rubin’s website in the reblogs.

[emmylksblog]

Can u write some Marc guiu where the reader is insecure about her stretch marks and during s*x Marc noticed she was trying to cover them and he moved her hands started kissing the stretch marks telling her she’s perfect/ beautiful and he loves her.. x not sure if u write for Marc ??

LOVE IN EVERY MARK // MARC GUIU

summary: your intimate moment with your boyfriend marc is interrupted by your insecurities gaining power over you and you covering your stretch marks

content: suggestive, insecurities, comfort, fluff

warnings: make out session

words: 712

a/n : sorry i could only provide a make out session, idk how to write smut yet :/

Marc and you are lounging on his couch in his apartment, enjoying the time together in each other's company. You haven't spent much time together lately due to your hectic schedules, so every moment alone is precious.

As you chat and laugh, the tension between you starts to build. You notice the way he looks at you, the way he playfully touches your hand as you're telling a story.

Sensing the energy shift, Marc leans in closer to you. His gaze is intense and filled with desire.

He cups your face in his hands, his eyes locking onto yours. "You know," he whispers, his voice low and husky, "I've been thinking about you all week."

Your heart skips a beat at his words, and you can feel the heat pooling between your thighs. You lean into his touch, not realizing how much you crave him until this very moment.

He closes the distance between you, pulling you into a deep, passionate kiss. His mouth moves against yours hungrily, his tongue exploring every inch. Hands roaming your body, touching every part of you as if trying to memorize your shape.

As the intensity between you and Marc increases, you begin to undress each other, exploring each other's bodies eagerly. The heat between your bodies is intoxicating, and you forget everything except the sensations you're experiencing together.

However, as you move into a position where your stretch marks are more visible, you suddenly become self-conscious. Automatically trying to cover them with your hands, hiding the imperfections you've always been insecure about.

Marc notices what you are trying to do, his eyes softening with understanding. He gently takes your hands away from your body, holding them in his own.

"Hey," he whispers, his voice filled with tenderness. "No tienes que esconderte de mí" ("You don't need to hide from me.")

He leans in and starts placing gentle kisses on your stretch marks, his lips softly touching each imperfection. "You're beautiful," he says, his words sincere. "I love every part of you, stretch marks included."

Tears well up in your eyes as you listen to Marc's heartfelt words. His acceptance and love for your body, imperfections and all, overwhelm you with emotion. You run your fingers through his hair, a silent gesture of gratitude.

Unable to find the words to express how much his words mean to you, you get up and straddle his lap, pulling him into a deep kiss. Your hands caress his face, your lips expressing your appreciation through the intensity of your kiss.

Marc responds eagerly to your kiss, his arms wrapping around you and holding you close. He deepens the kiss, his lips moving against yours with an increasing fervor. The heat between you is almost palpable, the intimacy of the moment heightening your senses.

He breaks the kiss for a moment, his eyes meeting yours. "I mean it," he whispers, his voice husky with emotion. "You're perfect, stretch marks included. Don't ever doubt that."

You manage to find your voice, your eyes searching his. "I love you," you say fiercely, your voice thick with emotion. "I am so, so lucky to have you."

You press your forehead against his, savoring the closeness and the feeling of his body against yours.

Marc grins, unable to resist the opportunity to tease you. He brushes his lips against your ear, his voice low and playful.

"You know," he whispers, his breath warm against your skin, "it's kind of adorable how flustered you get when I compliment you."

You playfully swat at him, a smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. "You always do this," you tease. "You just can't help ruining romantic moments, can you?"

Marc laughs, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "What can I say? I can't resist a good chance to mess with you."

He pulls you closer, his hands resting on your hips. "But seriously," he adds, his voice softening, "I meant every word I said. You're beautiful, stretch marks and all."

The tension between you eased and replaced with a comfortable intimacy. The insecurities and doubts that had come up earlier are no longer a worry, as Marc's words and actions have reassured you of his love and acceptance. Making you feel like the luckiest girl on earth.

[n0vazsq]

Over | Marc Bernal x Reader

pairing . . . marc bernal x ex!reader

summary . . . Visiting Marc's house after his injury wasn't on your agenda, but when his mother asks about you two, you're surprised she doesn't know you two broke up

request . . . yes!! based on this request!

word count . . . 1.8k+

warnings . . . angst!

faceclaim . . . N/A

alexavia yaps . . . died, cried. sobbed.

. . . It had been a week since Marc's injury, and still, there was an unspoken weight that filled the silence of the house. His mom was confused. She couldn’t understand why you weren’t there.

You, who had always been by his side. She had expected you, the way she expected him to wake up from his surgery, the way she expected him to smile after a long day.

But when Marc had told her you were 'busy', something in her expression had shifted, something fleeting, but there. She didn’t push, trusting him, assuming there was just some miscommunication.

But there was no miscommunication, not really. You were no longer a part of Marc's life. Not in the way you had been. Not in the way you thought you would be forever.

The breakup had been messy, an explosion of words unsaid and feelings buried too deep. One day, everything had seemed fine, normal, even.

The next, Marc had pulled away, the space between the two of you growing impossibly wide. There were no fights, no big confrontations. Just a slow, painful unraveling that neither of you could stop.

When he ended things, it wasn’t with anger or bitterness. It was with a quiet resignation, like he had already let go of something long before you ever realized it was slipping through your fingers.

You had begged him to talk, to explain, to tell you that you mattered enough to keep fighting for, but Marc had only said that he needed time. That things between you two weren’t right anymore. And though he didn’t say it, you could feel it.

He didn’t want to fight anymore.

Not for you. Not for us.

It hurt more than anything else had, and maybe that was the worst part, the knowledge that you weren’t even worth fighting for, that you were just another casualty of his own confusion, his own exhaustion.

And so, you walked away, leaving him to figure out his own mess. It felt like a lie, like you were betraying him by leaving, but it was the only thing you could do, the only way to protect what little dignity you had left.

You hadn’t expected to be here today. You hadn’t expected to find yourself standing in front of Marc’s house, a basket of chocolate and flowers in your hands, the pathetic excuse for a 'get well soon; gift that you had convinced yourself he might appreciate.

A simple gesture. That was all you had. But when you had heard that Marc was back home, something inside of you twisted. You couldn’t leave him in that state. Not without at least letting him know that you still cared.

You didn’t want to see him like this. You didn’t want to be reminded of what you’d lost, of the way his touch used to feel, of the way his voice had comforted you when the world seemed too much.

But you couldn’t stay away. You had to see him. You had to pretend that you hadn’t already broken.

Marc’s mom greeted you at the door with her usual warm smile, her arms outstretched in a gesture that should have felt familiar, comforting.

But today, it felt like an intrusion, like a reminder of everything you’d lost. The last time you had stood on this doorstep, everything had been different. Marc had still been your person. You had still been his.

"Oh, you're here!" Marc’s mom said, a touch of surprise in her voice. "How's everything? Marc’s been asking about you, you know." She looked at you, as if she had expected you to walk through the door just as much as she had expected him to recover.

You froze for a moment, the words she said wrapping around your heart like a vise. Asking about you? He didn’t know anything about you anymore.

"Yeah, I’ve been good. Just… busy," you said, your voice faltering slightly as you glanced down at the basket in your hands. It felt heavy now, like a symbol of everything you wished you could take back.

"Busy?" Marc’s mom asked, her brow furrowing as if the word didn’t quite sit right with her.

"But Marc said you were busy with studies, and I figured that was all. But you two-" She trailed off, her eyes searching yours for something that you weren’t sure you could give her. "You two were always so close. What happened? I thought you’d be right there beside him, especially after everything."

You felt a lump form in your throat, the weight of her words crushing you. The expectation. The realization that Marc hadn’t told her the truth. That he hadn’t told her that the reason you weren’t here was because you had no place in his life anymore.

You had been replaced, not by someone else, but by the slow erosion of something that was supposed to last.

"Marc didn’t… tell you?" you asked, your voice trembling, barely above a whisper. You hadn’t meant to ask, hadn’t meant to make this more painful than it already was, but the words slipped out before you could stop them.

His mom’s eyes widened in confusion, and for a moment, you saw a flicker of disbelief. "Tell me what? What are you talking about?"

You felt the tears start to sting at the back of your eyes. The truth was heavy, suffocating, and you didn’t want to say it, didn’t want to admit that everything had fallen apart in a way that made you feel like a stranger in a place you once called home.

"We… we broke up," you said quietly, your voice cracking on the last word. The finality of it hit you in that moment, the cold weight of reality sinking in.

It felt like a betrayal, not just to Marc’s mom, but to yourself. You didn’t even know why you were here. What did you think would happen? That things would somehow be okay again?

Her face softened instantly, her smile slipping into a frown, confusion clouding her features.

"But… Marc never said anything about that. He said you were just busy. He never said you two weren’t together anymore." She looked at you, searching for the answers that you weren’t sure you had, her gaze imploring, gentle, but insistent. "Why didn’t you come to the hospital, carino? He wanted you there."

The words felt like a slap, a reminder of the version of yourself that you had left behind. The version of yourself that was still tied to Marc in ways you didn’t know how to untangle.

You wanted to cry, wanted to explain everything, but there were no words that could make this better. There were no words that could take back the hurt.

"I couldn’t," you whispered, your voice barely audible now. "I couldn’t pretend like everything was fine when it wasn’t. I couldn’t watch him, watch you all, thinking I still belonged here when I didn’t."

Your chest tightened, the ache in your heart blooming into something unbearable. "I thought I could handle it, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t pretend. I couldn’t stay."

There was a long silence between you, and for a moment, you thought she might say something else.

That she might try to convince you that it wasn’t too late, that maybe Marc was waiting for you to come back and fix it. But she didn’t. Instead, she just nodded slowly, her face a mixture of sadness and understanding.

"I see," she said softly, her voice holding more than just the weight of disappointment. It was the weight of something broken, something irreversible. "Well, if you ever want to talk to him, you know where he is." She stepped back, her eyes still holding that faint trace of hope that had once been yours too.

You nodded, your heart in your throat, but you didn’t say anything more. Because you knew, deep down, that you couldn’t go back to that place. Not now. Not after everything that had changed.

You turned, walking back to your car, the basket of chocolate still hanging heavily in your hand. You didn’t look back. Because if you did, you might see Marc standing there, eyes full of unsaid things, things you couldn’t fix anymore. And you didn’t know if you could take seeing that.

As Marc sat in his room, the familiar hum of his thoughts was louder than ever. His mind kept circling back to the moment you had left, when everything changed.

He had told himself, over and over, that it was for the best. That maybe it was just the right time for both of you to move on. But the silence in the room, the one that used to be filled with your laughter, your late night talks, was deafening now.

His gaze wandered toward the window, where the pale light of the afternoon settled over the yard. It wasn’t until then that he noticed you, standing by your car, staring at the ground for a moment as though trying to gather the courage to walk away. His chest tightened.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he missed you more than he cared to.

His fingers itched to reach out to you, to explain the things he never had the courage to say, the reasons he hadn’t fought harder to keep you. But he stayed frozen, watching as you stood there, a heavy weight between the two of you.

You hadn’t noticed him yet, but he watched you long enough to know you were struggling with something, your posture stiff and uncertain.

Was it guilt? Regret? Maybe both. Marc’s heart skipped a beat when you finally turned away, the distance between you and his world growing wider with every step you took. He had let you slip away, and in that moment, he realized just how much he had been holding his breath, waiting for you to come back.

The truth was, Marc had always been scared; scared of not being enough, scared of being a burden, scared of losing the only person who had ever truly understood him. He had never told you that.

Instead, he had convinced himself that stepping away was the easiest thing to do, not realizing that by doing so, he had pushed you out of a life he now realized he wanted. The quiet ache in his chest was unbearable now, the weight of what he'd lost pressing down on him in a way that felt suffocating.

As you finally got in your car and drove away, Marc stood by the window for what felt like hours, unable to tear his eyes away.

He didn’t know what would happen next.

Maybe you would never come back. Maybe there was no fixing what had been broken. But as the last glimpse of your car disappeared down the street, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he would spend the rest of his life wondering if things could have turned out differently.

It was too late now.

It was all over.

taglist . . . @barcapix ,, @f1lover55 ,, @ilovebarcaaa ,, @notm4d1 ,, @httpsdana ,, @paucubarsisimp ,, @bernalswifeyy ,, @nngkay ,, @justaf1girl (lmk if you want to join the taglist!)

[salvia-plathitudes]

An immigration judge has given lawyers representing the Department of Homeland Security a little over 24 hours to provide Mahmoud Khalil's legal team with evidence that he is removable from the U.S. under the allegations lobbed against him.

Khalil, legal permanent resident with a green card, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at his Columbia University housing in New York last month.

Khalil's wife, who appeared via video feed at his hearing, is set to give birth within "a couple of weeks," according to Khalil's lawyer, Marc Van Der Hout.

The hearing grew tense at times, with the judge at one point saying there were nearly 600 people waiting to attend the virtual hearing that was reserved for legal parties only, saying this was highly unusual.

Noting the public interest in the case, Van Der Hout asked the judge to consider making future hearings accessible to the public, but she refused and said she was considering making all future hearings "in-person only" so all of his lawyers would need to attend in person.

Khalil was seated wearing a blue jumpsuit. He only said a handful of words throughout the hearing. At one point he asked the judge if his wife, Noor Abdalla, could also be allowed to have access to the video feed.

"Your honor, I would appreciate if you could let my wife in," he asked.

When she was let in, Abdalla was shown on the big screen. Khalil turned to look at her and then returned his gaze to the front of the room.

During the last hearing, Khalil's lawyers were granted continuance to give additional time to review the allegations raised against him in the Notice to Appear filed by DHS.

📸 Muslim protesters pray outside the main campus of Columbia University during a demonstration to denounce the immigration arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist who helped lead protests against Israel at the university, in New York City, March 14, 2025.

David Dee Delgado/Reuters, FILE

Comans again grew agitated when Van Der Hout asked for continuance a second time and claimed lawyers representing DHS had not provided evidence to back up the allegations against his client.

"We have not received a single document from them," he said.

He urged the judge to allow him more time, saying "we can not plead" until they knew the evidence they had against Khalil.

But Comans denied his request and ordered Van Der Hout to enter Khalil's plea for over 12 allegations on the spot.

The allegations ranged from procedural, such as "You are a native of Syria and a citizen of Algeria," to accusations that he withheld information from DHS about his alleged membership in the Columbia University Apartheid Divest group.

He was also asked to respond to the DHS claim that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had found Khalil's "presence or activities in the United States would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States."

Van Der Hout responded "deny" for each allegation.

Comans conveyed a sense of urgency to get these issues resolved, noting Khalil had already spent several weeks in detention. She told both parties she was "not going to keep him detained" while they argued over his removability.

The court room was packed with reporters and a handful of supporters. One of them was told she needed to take off her keffiyeh before she walked into the courtroom.

As the hearing was adjourned, Khalil turned back to wave and smile at the group of supporters and press that were trickling out of room.

He smiled and waved a peace sign at one of his supporters.

[milkypompon]

Chapter 1 | Midnight Musings

pairing: Marc Spector x Reader (implied Steven Grant x Reader, implied Jake Lockley x Reader)

summary: Even after a year living with Steven and Jake in the headspace, Marc struggles to quiet the buzzing chatter. He finds himself frequenting Coffee for Two, a place where brewing roasts fill the air and the cookies are as sweet as the barista.

content: coffeeshops, fluff, innuendo (thanks to Jake), poor shy and tired Marc who just needs his drink

wc: 1.2k

a/n: HELLO Moon Knight luvers!! I'm sweeping out this fic since I've had it around for some bit!

Moon Knight Masterlist || Main Masterlist

Coffee Doodles Masterlist

< Previous || Next >

—

Working the closing shift has its disadvantages… and occasional perks. 

People weave in and out of the café from the crack of dawn, then scurry away when the moon is at its highest. Rarely did they stay to settle down on the rickety chairs late into the night, ever so eager to drag themselves home after a long day.

You hardly remember the customers’ faces, usually down-turned with a sour look of annoyance on their phones who impatiently tap their shoe on the wooden floors. 

The man in front of you with waves of hair swept back to reveal his gruff demeanor, albeit a ruggedly handsome one, wasn’t any different from the others. Yet, you try to catch his eye as he sends a text. 

“You work the late hours like me?” You ask and crack a smile, immediately regretting it after realizing how wry it must’ve appeared from your exhaustion. 

He merely grunts in confirmation.

You clear your throat and idly tap your fingers on the granite countertop. “What can I get for you then?”

“Just a cup of coffee. Make it black.” He retrieves a leather wallet from his jacket pocket and pulls out a few quid in exchange for the kick of energy he desperately needs. 

“Your name?”

“Marc.” 

You whisper his name to yourself before reaching beside you to grab a paper cup and scrawling it on there.

Marc watches you catch your bottom lip between your teeth in fierce concentration as you doodle a smiley face next to his name. He wonders if you did this for every customer or if it was a way to keep yourself awake.

Before you made your last mark, you saw him through your peripheral vision staring at you intently. Usually, customers appreciate the little pick-me-up from the drawings you made. You inwardly wince for holding him up. “Sorry, you must be in a hurry”. You quickly cap the pink Sharpie and toss it into a small ceramic pot filled with other writing utensils. 

Marc notes how some were more appropriate or journaling, like the bright glitter pens, than for work. But it was well-loved all the same since it was nearly flatlining from use. 

“I’ll have it out for you in a minute.”

He shook his head, the black locks of curls bouncing slightly. “No rush, really.”

You situate yourself behind the coffee machine, tinkering with the buttons and opening the wrinkled bag of coffee beans. The warm scent permeates the air, even more so when the brown liquid dribbles into the cup. You quietly sigh in relief at the simplicity of the process. You’ve had a fair share of blended and iced drinks often brought back to the counter by unamused customers, claiming that it didn’t taste the same as last week even though there was a clear-cut recipe list plastered in front of your face when you made their orders. 

You carefully fiddle the cap over the cup and hand it to Marc with a tired smile. 

Marc felt your fingers brush along his. It was warm, but he wasn’t sure if it was just from the coffee. Regardless, he nodded in thanks and was soon swallowed by the darkness as he left to sip his coffee at nearly 1 a.m.

The London weather constantly nipped at his fingertips. 

He curses under his breath and shoved his free hand into his jacket pocket. He longed to settle back into his flat and curl up into layers of blankets, which was truthfully a sorry excuse for warmth because of the godawful heater he just couldn’t find the time to fix. His mind drifted to your touch, it was light, brief if anything. But it sparked a warmth that a blanket or a cup of coffee couldn’t quite satiate. 

A snarky voice filled his headspace, Fuckin’ touch starved.

Marc rolled his eyes. Shut your damn mouth, Lockley. 

He crosses the road, not bothering to look left or right, there’s only him, the moon, and some bloke smoking a dying cig by a closed convenience store. When he squints he saw Steven picking at the loose threads of his shirt in the window. 

Quite a looker with a pretty voice. 

Marc sighs in response, Not you too. 

He takes one last gulp at the bitter drink before raising it over the tin can filled with other rubbish. The streetlamp’s yellowish light caught your handiwork on the cup, his name with half a smiley face messily written with your pink Sharpie. He chuckled at the unfinished doodle, remembering how your eyes widened when you realized he was watching you closely. 

Like a deer caught in the headlights, Steven remarked.

Marc chuckles at his words.

–

It was another closing shift. 

You begrudgingly accepted it from your coworker who reminded you with a smirk that the pastries behind the glass was up for grabs the moment you flipped the “closed” sign by the window. Anyone with half a mind would have sticky hands for the chocolate croissant dusted with powdered sugar. Just the thought of warming it up in the oven toaster as you wipe the counters and stocked the shelves with mugs made you a little hungry. 

Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to be eating sweet treats considering the time, but said sweet treats were going straight into the rubbish-bin if you didn’t house them in your stomach. 

You happily hum a familiar tune you heard on the tube while sliding the glass door separating you and your beloved reward for the hard work.

A pleasant jingle of a bell rang over the front door abruptly ending your monotonous tasks.

You toss your head over your shoulder. “Sorry, we’re closed—” 

The same man (Marc, was it?) nods down in apology for entering after hours. He truly was a man of few words.

“Oh! It’s you. I was afraid you were a customer with a complicated drink coming in at the last second.” You dusted your fingers down the seams of your apron and beckoned him inside. “But, it’s the same as last night?”

Marc runs his fingers through the tufts of his curls, the strands wrapping around each finger. You wondered what it felt like. The thought in passing rises to the forefront of your mind. It left as quickly as it came when you hear him call your name after reading it across the embroidered stitching of your apron.

The corners of his mouth turn up in amusement, hardly an exchange for pleasantries, but it was more than what he’d given before. He slides a few quid on the counter. “Yeah, coffee. Black.” 

You pluck your pink Sharpie and begin to write his name on it. After a few quiet moments of gurgling from the machine, you hand the cup to him. 

He furrows his eyebrows.

You quip with a grin. “Did I manage to mess up the easiest order known to man?”

“No.”

“Then what is it?”

“You didn’t draw on it this time.”

You almost laugh but the serious crease on his face was a testament to his genuine disappointment. “Well it wouldn’t be very good service if I didn’t complete my job, eh?”

His eyes shift to the glass covering the pastries as if seeing something you couldn't. “You wanna talk about good service?” A playful lilt tugs at his voice, almost unfamiliar. 

Before you can respond, he mumbles a thank you and scurries out of the cafe. 

Did he just flirt? And… get embarrassed?

I'd love to hear your thoughts and my inbox is always open for requests or if you want to chat!

[vintagegirl01]

Plush Size

Marc Spector x fem! reader (Implied moon boys x fem! reader)

Summary: Missing the MK System, you decide to make a plush toy of Moon Knight for yourself, so that you have something to cuddle with when they are on missions for Khonshu. While this plush ends up being used for that particular reason, the moon boys are shocked to see that you are no longer as clingy to them as you once were. This leads them to become touch starved, resulting in them hiding the plush.

You miss them all very much. It has only been a day since they left but you miss Marc, Steven, and Jake very much.

Though they have been on missions longer than this most recent one they are currently on. Nevertheless, it’s true when they say absence makes the heart grow fonder.

As you look through Pinterest to look at sewing machine projects that you want to do. You see some pins on how to make dolls. This sparks the idea to create a doll in the form of your boyfriends’ Moon Knight persona that you could use to cuddle when they are gone. With this newfound inspiration, you get to work.

_________________________________________

3 Days Later…

Marc is currently fronting as he enters the key to your shared apartment. Though this mission was shorter, the desire to get home to you was what kept him going.

When he locks the front door, Marc notices the silence within the house. No tv nor music playing in the background.

Imagining the worst case scenario, Marc grabs his gun from his travel bag and begins walking around the house in preparation to fight to the death for you. He hears both Steven and Jake from the headspace, trying to reassure him that you are safe and more likely to fall asleep. Though he appreciates the reassurance from them both, Marc’s mind can’t help but wander to think the worst.

As he finally approaches the door to your shared bedroom, Marc finds you asleep on your bed. Although, instead of snuggling into his side of the bed like you normally would when he was gone, Marc is shocked to see you snuggling up with a plushie that looks nearly identical to what he looks like when he wears Khonshu’s ceremonial armor as Moon Knight. Marc smiles to himself as he returns to his regular clothes, beginning to strip to nothing but his boxers and crawls into the bed to get well earned rest.

________________________________________

In the coming weeks, Marc notices how often you cuddle with the plush version of himself and is a bit restless to say the least. Though Marc is happy you have something to remind you of himself when he is away, the feeling isn’t there when he begins to notice that you sometimes even hug the mini him when you both are lounging around together in your room or living room.

Despite Marc always being a bit closed off at the start of your relationship, you helped him open up. Once feeling as if he had to wear the world on his shoulders, that feeling slowly faded away when he was around you.

No longer receiving those cuddles as often as he was once used to, Marc begins to devise a plan. One that will ensure he gets your attention.

________________________________________

As you finish showering and changing into your pajamas, you exit the restroom and enter the bedroom.

When you walk to the bed, you notice that your Moon Knight plushie is no longer laying on the side where you normally sleep. In shock, you look under the bed to make sure it isn’t there. Noting it isn’t there, you move your pillows to see if they aren’t under the bed.

“Marc”! Have you seen mini you?”, you ask.

Marc comes in and says he hasn’t but agrees to help you find him (unbeknownst to you that he hid it).

________________________________________

Thirty minutes of you two looking and not having any luck. Defeated, you lay on your bed a bit upset.

Marc gets into bed next to you and wraps his arms around you. He is a little shocked by the fact that you are upset about this.

Curious to understand why that is, he asks: “Why are you upset about losing the mini me”?

You answer.“Because it’s something to remind me of you when we aren’t together. Also, I figured it would be a good substitute for when you don’t want to cuddle me as I know I can be a bit too much sometimes.”

Everything begins to make sense to him. Marc goes to your closet to get something. When he comes back out, you see that he’s holding your missing plushie.

“I’m sorry I hid this from you”, he says ashamed. “I missed your cuddles and thought that mini me was taking away your attention from me. Despite what you may think, I love our cuddle sessions. It’s because of you, I feel safe enough to be vulnerable. Can you forgive me, baby?”

The moment Marc finishes, he is shocked to see you get up from the bed and grab the plushy from him. You put the plush on your bed and pull him in for a hug.

“You know you can ask me for cuddles whenever”, you say.

Marc looks at you with puppy eyes, “Can we cuddle now?”.

You take his hand and lead him both to your bed. Both of you get settled in with Marc laying his head on your chest as you run your fingers through his curls. Staying this way until sleeps takes over.

[tiptapricot]

Moon Knight 2022 Three Years Later: A Fan Insight Collection

A week ago, on the three year anniversary of the start of the MCU Moon Knight show beginning to air, I opened a form for fans to submit thoughts and comments answering one question:

“What did or has the 2022 Moon Knight show meant to you? You can say whatever you’d like to whatever depth you’d like. Positive or negative, complex or simple.”

Over the week, I received just over 50 responses, collected from those here on tumblr, Instagram, and anywhere else the link may have been shared. Below the cut are these submissions, made anonymously and shared anonymously, to give a look into how people have felt about the show three years on, how its impacted their lives, and how the fandom exists and connects today.

All 51 responses as well as my own thoughts at the end are included, ranging in length and detail, so this is a long post. But I’d highly recommend scrolling through and seeing the various perspectives given. It was a treat to be able to see what everyone had to say about this show and how it’s impacted all of us in different ways.

Here’s to three years of MCU Moon Knight, and hopefully more future years to come!

1: I'm not lying when I say that the show marked a turning point for me, in many ways. First, I had a favorite hero again (now I like 2 superheroes!). Second, I literally began to appreciate the cinematic aspects!

And third, it led me to a psychologist. I've suffered from a type of mental health issue since I was a child, which I was always afraid of knowing what it was. I often put off seeking help, but during the pandemic, it became even more uncontrollable to hide. But now, I have support and I've begun to accept myself more thanks to the hero I now admire.

2: moon knight, without exaggeration, has basically lead to some of the best things that have happened to me. when i first got into the show, i really struggled with finding positive online spaces as well as an interest that i felt fully connected to. As well as having some personal events that left me in a pretty low and isolating spot in my life.

i started watching moon knight as a means of distraction from this low point, and became more and more interested and connected with the show, specifically with being able to relate to people like marc or steven or layla in a way that i had never done before with media. This of course lead me to the community and the moon knight fandom, and online friends that i have now known for years.

everyone here is so passionate about the show as well as the comics on a level to where a community feels solidified, and welcomes new people with open arms, as well as constantly seeing familiar faces over and over again. this passion and warmth that i felt has helped me become dedicated to art, and has helped me to persue a career in comic book art, and i absolutely regret nothing.

eventually these connections of meeting new people would bring me the most unexpected thing i hadn’t planned on: love. thanks to the moon knight community, i have managed to meet the love of my life and have a happy, healthy, and loving relationship. i have never had a connection so deep with someone before than with my lover, and we are actively making plans for our future. this would not have been possible without the moon knight community.

i cannot thank this show enough for all it’s done for me, and i can’t wait to see what happens next. for now, i’ll be here within the community, seemingly always and forever, enjoying this piece of art. it’s so awsome to see that this community is alive and well after three years since the tv show came out, and has lead many people to enjoy the comics and other things that keeps the love for the moon knight system alive.

i hope everyone enjoys this year’s moon knightaversery, and remember that community has a positive impact on people’s lives, laters gators ✌️🐊

3: After many, many rewatches, i figured out that I've had DID for almost my whole life. It has played a Huge role in my understanding of myself + it made me Love the character endlessly

4: moon knight has always been such an important character in my life and I love him so much, his show means the world to me and helps me feel better about my own struggles with DID. this show has brought me such joy and whimsy and Steven is sooo me

5: Moonknight was a way for me to connect with my dad before I moved away and then it helped me connect with new friends and reignite my love for superheroes, Egyptian mythology, and art.

6: For me was a big experience to see another face on Marvel productions, more different and dark than other stories. I know my first contact with MCU was Guardians of the Galaxy with the focus on the meaning of family and belonging on a group, but with Moon Knight the meaning was very deep for me: take care and love yourself. The episode 5 it’s the evidence of what makes the show very special.

Also, Oscar Isaac did a great job to stealing my heart with Steven and Marc. Wonderful actor👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼. Ethan he did a good job as Arthur Harrow, not my favorite villian, but it was good 👍🏼. May Calamy it was the unique women actress I like from MCU, personally was difficult to make a connection with female characters from the franchise (feel like with extremes, sometimes are the sexy one’s or the most annoying one’s) , but Layla I saw the balance in the typical women characters, it’s sweet and compressive with her ex-husband and she fights with agility from the bad guys.

I want to give an opinion about the DID representation, it was my first time I saw this mental illness. Also, I started to focus in that details on some movies or shows with different characters and sometimes you need to be careful with psychological problems on media. It was a good projection, it was evident when they bring to the studio real psychologists to give some knowledges about DID to the producers and actor, Oscar, they treat carefully some creative ideas to show how it feels to live with a mental illness. Bring Marc Spector to the show with a slowly and lovely step by step on each episode was a serious challenge.

Finally, isn’t obvious? I like the mix of Egyptian mythology and psychological theme on a superhero character 😎✨. Makes a fresh sensation for the audience to see another culture or lore context of the character to give a different introduction than the typical ones from Avengers

I miss my boys, miss Oscar charisma, I miss the show and I still mad with the cliffhanger. I hope some day or year Marvel give us again El loquito de la Luna😔✨

7: This show premiered while I was in college. I watched it as each episode came out, and I loved it then. Then I just somehow forgot about it sometime in August 2022 (focused on college). It wasn’t until sometime last year when I graduated college, someone on Twitter (before I deleted my account and yes I’m still calling it that, no one can tell me otherwise) put out a tweet as the ongoing genocide of Palestine is raging on saying “hey marvel fans, you should check out Moon Knight if you haven’t because May is half Palestinian. Free Palestine.” And that made me go “Wow, that’s really awesome. And I haven’t rewatched the show since its initial release so why not.” And wow. You know how people say “man I wish I could forget I watched this show and feel like I watched it for the first time?” Have ADHD, because MAN. I forgot how much of a hidden gem this show is. It’s storytelling, the cinematography, OMG OSCAR, MAY AND ETHAN ACTING THE HELL OUT. Also how well they accurately depicted DID without any tropes or some sort of psycho alter. Those who do are still human; as Steven says “they just need help”. I don’t have DID myself, but I knew someone from another fandom who did, and they said they never felt more seen than this show. And man Steven… I never related to a character on a deep level than him. As well as Marc and Jake too. They are just people who went through unfortunate circumstances and serve a god with a dead bird head. I’m so happy I fell back in love with this show. Not only did I get hooked on how brilliant Oscar is as an actor, but it got my creative juices flowing again too. I now make fanart of the moon boys and Layla when I can, and this community has been so wonderful and kind and just incredible. I really do hope we get to see them again in the future. 🌙

8: 3 years ago today (on the day I'm writing this), I watched the first episode of Moon Knight. Before that, I knew next to nothing about the character (though, I did know enough about him to send a text to my friends prior to watching the show that said 'I hope they do a good job representing his DID' so kudos to my younger self for knowing that much), nor did I have any sort of special attachment. I was just a Marvel fan happy to watch another Marvel show.

After that first episode though? Hoo boy. Those next few weeks, waiting eagerly for each episode, reading the comics, enjoying the show's story and its characters (Steven Grant, you'll always be famous to me), were a blast. No other MCU show had ever drawn me in as much as Moon Knight did, and none since have had as much an effect on me as it did.

But in truth, it's what came after the show that meant the most to me. A couple months after the show ended, I wrote a fic for it. And then I wrote another. And another. And another. People began to recognise my work, to look forward to it. I'd never really had that before. I became familiar with the names of commenters, and in turn became familiar with them on Tumblr.

I've always been a bit of a lurker when it comes to fandom spaces, always too shy to really speak with others or join in, but for the first time, I decided to take a step out of my comfort zone. I took part in fun exchanges with other fans, made silly art for those who I became mutuals with, which eventually led to me downloading Discord to join in Moon Knight servers and chat with those I'd befriended. I truly became part of a fandom community in a way I never had before. It was so much fun.

While I am no longer as deep in the fandom as I was the year following the show's release, I still have ties with many of the people I met through it (hi Tip!) [editor’s note: hello! ^w^], even if we don't talk as much as we used too. No matter how much we all drift off into new interests and hobbies, I always smile when I see those familiar names pop up on my Tumblr dashboard, or in my Discord notifications.

But aside from the fandom and the friends I made, I will always be proud of the creativity this show gave me. I wrote over 200,000 words for Moon Knight, for 14 fics in total, 2 of which were part of a Moon Knight zine I got invited into (which was such an honour!). I have never written that much for anything else. Before the show, I only had 9 fics that I'd written, few of which I was proud of. Moon Knight not only led me to making stories that I still cherish deeply to this day, but it also helped me improve as a writer. Moon Knight was the first time I genuinely felt like a fanfic writer.

So, in short (because damn this got long), Moon Knight meant a lot for me. No matter how much time passes, or how much my interest in it may wax and wane, nothing will ever diminish the impact it had on me. It gave me a community I loved being a part of, and it drove me to write stories I will always be proud of. It was...truly wonderful. 💜

9: This show makes me feel connected to the character of Steven Grant , as a person with autism, I can see myself in Steven Grant position when comes to social interaction to other people and the moon knight show had introduce me to read the comics and the characters of Marc Spector, Steven Grant and Jake Lockley 💗🌙

10: I didn’t get into the show until recently, but I’ve never had something bring me so much joy as it does. It helped me gain a friend and has improved my art in so many ways. I’m losing my mind waiting for a season two or at least a movie. I am hoping so hard please marvel

11: Probably the most consuming obsession with something I’ve ever had, lol. I’ve written at least 100k (private!!!) words on it. Three years… geez. It’s not an amazing show or anything but I really can’t think of a show that made me feel more validated for having psychosis :). Marc Spector is my moon and stars bro, my number one comfort character ever. Can’t believe the Disney war machine allowed for a character to be genuinely really mentally ill. I’m strangely at peace with Moon Knight only having one season… I think I just like that his story is so separate from all the other tie-ins. But I’d probably make myself genuinely sick with excitement if they brought the character back, lol.

12: Watching this show was genuinely life changing 😭 I went from an avid marvel hater interested in a career in concept art to now actively perusing becoming a comic book artist. When I say Moonknight has taken over my brain I MEAN IT, I’m serious when I say maybe 40% of my thoughts are daydreaming about this damn show

13: marc and steven were there for me while i was going through the worst thing thats ever happened to me in my life back in 2023. forever grateful for them 🩶

14: Moon knight has meant the absolute world to me. It got me back into comics and the MCU when I had little hope for it. It brought me into new hobbies inspiring me to sew, draw, make keychains, make plushies, and cosplay. It brought me through a really really hard time in my life. I have collected about everything moon knight there is and it has stuck with me to this day. My best friend and now partner invited me to prom by chrocetting me a moon knight doll. I have made tons of mutual online Freinds through moon knight. Most of which I have done art swaps or art traids with. It has whole heartefly consumed my personality and id one of the only real hyperfixations I have ever had. It has brought me a lifetime worth of joy that I can never repay.

15: It came into my life in a unexpected way but it was so good it did, it brought me joy and and sadness leaning about those complex characters, it introduced me to my fav actor now and it helped me improve my art, bcuz of this show I value good writing even more and complex characters with tragic backstories. This show gave me some comfort too, I’d rewatch it on my bad days and always feel better, I always thank people in the team of this show bcuz it truly shows how much each person had passion and it’s something I value a lot

16: I love Moon Knight dearly. The show gave me incredibly empathetic and nuanced characters that I've been longing for the MCU to give me. I loved the focus on DID and how the characters experienced it. I discovered Moon Knight through the comics long before the show was even announced, but while I enjoyed what I read, I didn't connect with it as deeply as I did the show. It was the show's dedication to exploring Moon Knight's DID and Marc and Steven's distinct personalities and story that brought it to another level for me. There may be an element of superhero fantasy to the portrayal, but the core of it feels very grounded and human. I hold Marc and Steven (and Jake) close to my heart and sincerely wish we get to see more of Oscar Isaac's version of them.

17: Moon knight inspired me to draw for me again after 2 years and it also encouraged me to start having online friendships again after a traumatic experience I had in 2020 and the community was always so welcoming

18: Moon Knight is a special show for me, i discovered it at a very difficult time in my life and it helped keep me distracted from the world around me. I just hope we get to see more of Moon Knight in the near future <3

19: I discovered Oscar Isaac, now I want to marry him

20: Moon Knight gave me my creativity back. I was in an art slump for a long time.

The show portrayed Autism accurately with Steven.

It portrayed D.I.D with care.

The way it focused on mental health was what sold it for me.

I love action, but getting to know Marc, and his pain, made him all the more relatable. Layla was kickass and didn’t put up with any shit. Harrow was a villain who I’d love to know his backstory and his days working for Khonshu.

I have a tattoo of the stars scene for a reason — this show left a lasting impression on myself. Something about it changed me and I couldn’t be more grateful.

21: Artistic improvement, a group of friends that redefined what fandom could be for me after a particularly traumatizing fandom experience prior. Learning a lot about every aspect of the show. Learning more about myself. Learning I love to make comics. This show was such an important stepping stone for me developmentally and I owe it so much

22: compared to other Marvel projects, moon knight is unique and refreshing in it’s own way. The story is intriguing, the characters are likeable and interesting, and the CGI is pretty good (especially that scene when Marc transforms in his MK form!!!). It holds a special place in my heart as it helped me get through school, and life in general. 🌙

23: About two months before Moon Knight had come out, I was diagnosed with Autism. I had been bullied my whole life, and the moment I had an answer as to why I could fit in or make social connections. At the time, I was feeling a lot of hurt as I wished I was diagnosed earlier, and had begun to go through a lot of self hate.

About a week before the first episode dropped, my dad showed me the trailer of the show, saying we should give it a watch because it had Oscar Isaac in it, an actor I really liked. So when my mom, dad and I sat to watch the show, I expected something whimsical and silly like WandaVision was, only to be met with one of the most beautiful shows I have watched in a really long time.

The thing that connected me the most to the show was Steven Grant. I saw a lot of his behaviours were similar to mine (Info dumping, awkward social skills, not having a lot of friends) and I felt seen. It felt like Steven had come into my life when I needed something like him the most. After the first episode aired I wanted to see if other people had clocked in on some of Steven’s mannerisms, and sure enough, I had found an interview Oscar Isaac had done where he said he wanted to have Steven somewhere on the autism spectrum.

For the first time, there was Marvel character that made me feel scene, and I felt at peace with myself because of Steven.

As the show progressed, I connected with him more. I felt comfort in watching him, and soon, I noticed a few things Marc did that connected to me too.

When episode 5 had aired, I remember finishing the episode in tears. I was saddened from Marc story, and the possibility of Steven being gone forever broke my heart. With my autism, sometimes I feel things a lot more intensely than they need to be, and I remember for a few days I went nonverbal because at the time I couldn’t vocalize how I was feeling in that moment. When the finale aired, as Marc and Steven are reunited in the Duate, Marc tells Steven that he’s ’The only real super power he ever had’, it connected with me so much.

Steven, a character who’s on the spectrum, being Marc’s ‘superpower’, made me feel more confident and comfortable with my autism, and that is something that has stuck by with me ever since.

This show has changed my life for the better, and it’s impact has made me a better person 🤍

24: Its honestly been such a comforting show for me? Oscar Isaac's acting is just incredible as all of the system's different individuals, you really get attached to Marc and Steven so so much in great part thanks to him. But its also so refreshing to see DID not be demonized, but rather potrayed as what it is: the result of continuous trauma from a young age. I don't have DID, but the way it has been stigmatized by the media at large as this "scary thing that evil people have" makes no sense. Systems are just that: people, who, though different from neurotypical, are no less deserving of understanding and respect. Moon knight did something incredible in potraying that, and i wish we get to see more of them at some point.

25: Moonknight was the first marvel character I could relate to. Everyone else was brave, heroic, and was in love. But I got to see someone on screen who acted like me, especially in the first episode. I've always had issues with my memory and my family so seeing all that in a marvel show was fun. I also love how emphatic the show is towards people who struggle with mental illness.

26: moon knight (2022) really was the biggest part of my development as it helped me comprehend my own childhood trauma, feelings and actions. i resonated so well with steven grant because i've never seen a character that acted and interacted with people so much like me. he's my favorite character ever since i started moon knight from episode 1. creating fanart for moon knight since 2022 also really helped me see how much i've improved in my art over time ever since i started making fanart for the show. even if the change isnt that drastic, it took alot of work to get to where i am now with my drawing skills. "thank you" wouldn't even show how grateful i was to find this show.

27: My whole life I've been obsessed with 2 things: the Moon and Egyptology. So it's only natural that I'd LOVE Moon Knight. I was hesitant at first; I didn't have much faith in Marvel to tackle such intense and sensitive topics as DID and child abuse (and I cannot speak on if MK did tackle those things well or not. That's for the DID community to decide) The show eventually drew me in and I've been absolutely obsessed with it since. I've always hyperfixated on media (thanks ADHD and anxiety!!) and MK quickly became an escape for me mentally. I can't even describe how much I love this show and the comics. It gave my nerd brain something to latch on to and love deeply. I see myself in Steven. I'm an anxiety riddled museum gift shop worker who wishes for nothing greater than an escape from my mundane reality. I see a little of myself in Marc as well-- my brain sometimes is working against me, and I often am unable to communicate my emotions so they stay bottled up and seething. I love the magic, the journey, and those 3 moon boys so damn much. There's so much to love about Moon Knight.

28: ***el inglés no es mi primer idioma asi que lo haré en español***

Moon Knight llegó en uno de los años más difíciles de mi vida, no tenía mucho de entrar a la universidad, tenía dudas sobre mi y sobre mi vida a futuro. Esta serie me acogió con un cariño especial. Amaba que todo el mundo comentara de ella y yo pudiera unirme a la conversación. He perdido la cuenta de las veces que la he visto pq a pesar de que algunos de sus temas son bastante profundos y difíciles se ha convertido en un confort muy grande para mí. La relación de Marc y Steven tuvo un gran

impacto en mi. Su forma de reconocerse, aceptarse y llegar a quererse es muy cercana a mi corazón.

Amo Moon Knight y a sus personajes, que más me gustaría que seguir viendo sobre ellos. 🤍

[In English (via Google translate so is a less perfect carry over): Moon Knight arrived during one of the most difficult years of my life. I wasn't even close to entering college, and I had doubts about myself and my future. This series welcomed me with a special affection. I loved that everyone was commenting on it and I could join in the conversation. I've lost count of the times I've watched it because, despite some of its themes being quite deep and difficult, it has become a great comfort to me. Marc and Steven's relationship had a huge impact on me. Their way of recognizing, accepting, and coming to love each other is very close to my heart.

I love Moon Knight and its characters; I'd love more than anything to keep watching them. 🤍]

29: I'm autistic and hyperfixated on MK. It literally means everything to me.

30: So much. I have found new friends and better understanding of myself.

31: As a DID system, Moon Knight has meant so much to me. I adore everything about the show from the set design, to the story and performances. I think the work done in the characters of Steven and Marc is an almost masterclass in writing people with neurodivergences and mental illnesses. It isn't perfect or completely realistic but the world the characters live in isnt perfect or completely realistic. Steven and Marc are both perfect compliments to each other and perfect foils. The opening episodes of Moon Knight are by far my favorite in the whole series.

32: I really saw myself in Marc. The way he thinks he's unlovable. The way he blames himself for everything. Even his tendency to withdraw but then have angry outbursts. He is trapped by his love and responsibilities and low self-worth. By the end of episode two, when we see him really talk to Steven and be manipulated by Khonshu, I was in love with the show.

33: thinking about steven grant has saved me from having panic attacks. one time I was on stage like 30 seconds before the curtain rose about to start crying and I just thought about him and was just able to get myself under control and start the scene without the audience knowing a thing. moon knight has had real tangible effects on my mental heath and I love it so much!

34: Well, for me the glaring absence of a fictional character to adore wholeheartedly was very palpable (sorry ive been into fic writing mode -for the first time!- and somehow my mind only comes up with big words) after Bucky. And believe it or not, i knew i was gonna be down bad for the show the moment i watched the trailer. This was new, me falling for a main character in their own show, and only from watching a short video. Id practically memorized the release date only because the voice at the end saying it -march 30 only on Disney plus or something like that- over and over when i played it on a loop.

Ok, so, focus. The experience, yeah. I went nuts for moon knight. NUTS nuts. I have a moon knight cult of my own, having made people watch the show throughout these three years. I did cry a lot during episode five, because it resonated a lot with my own traumas (something funny: just after Steven found out his life was a lie and Marc was shouting if he wanted to remember the truth about their mother, my own mother arrived and asked why im crying (i was supposed to be watching my teacher's tutorial videos; the only reason i was allowed to have my phone back lmao)). To this day, I can't help but see Marc as a resemblance of myself, and that's why i haven't been able to adore him like i do with Steven and Jake. Even if my fiery emotions mellow out like they always do, i know this show, these characters, will have their very own special place in my heart.

35: P good representation of a system. Oscar Isaac took great care to do his research and paint the system in a sympathetic and realistic light. It was entertaining to watch and better than the comics it’s based off.

36: The 2022 Moon Knight has meant so much to me, as someone who suffers with thoughts of loneliness and struggles with mental health; I relate so much to Moon Knight as a whole. Following Marc & Steven (also Jake!) adventure and journey as they learn to live with one another is so special, and I love how their DID (dissociative identity disorder) was taken as something not-otherworldly/fantastical but a traumatic realistic condition that happens to real people. Moon Knight to me is a character who protects those more vulnerable, while still dealing with internal struggles themselves. I shall always love this character with all my heart and soul, and of course hoping for a season 2!

37: Fucking everything, I met my husband because of it, refound my love of Egyptian mythology, got a tattoo the same as the followers of Ammit and have now dedicated my life to expanding the knowledge of the peoples that came before us thanks to this show.

Disney giving it no credit breaks my heart, it’s the single best show that disney+ has produced until Daredevil Born Again.

38: As someone with CPTSD due to emotional and physical abuse from my mother, Moon Knight hit hard. The words Marc's mother used were the exact same ones I heard growing up. The estrangement was so relatable. While I did not develop DID like Marc/Steven/Jake, I emphasized with his struggles and I loved how the show addressed mental illness. I love this show so much and hold it dear to my heart. When Steven said, it's not your fault; you were just a child, I cried so much. While it would be nice to have Moon Knight cameo in Marvel movies, I would much rather prefer Moon Knight develop further in a second season, with Jake. This show made me buy the 4K disc, and I don't have a player to watch it. I love it that much. I cannot emphasize how much this show affected me. It makes me want to try in life.

39: Okay, here I go! (Please excuse my english, I'm not a native speaker!) Moon Knight show helped me understood myself better. After the first episode, I connected strongly to Steven's character. As the episodes went by, and I found Oscar Isaac's comment about the MK system being on the autistic spectrum, it just clicked. All those years, I felt, that something was 'wrong' about me, but turned out, I might be on the autistic spectrum. To be honest, I still haven't found the courage to get a diagnosis from a doctor. I'm shy and very introverted, but also, I'm really enthusiastic about my hobbies and interests. Basically, Moon Knight helped me to better understand myself through Steven and Marc.

In 2023, I went to Egypt for a trip. I visited a lot of temples during the 11 days. I saw Cairo, Aswan, Luxor and many more. I'll visit Egypt again in a few weeks, this time Alexandria, the north coast and Siwa oasis.

I'm from Hungary, and I'm really proud of the hungarian people, who helped make this show awesome!

40: I loved the references to the ancient Egyptian Myths.

41: Will start by prefacing that I'm a singlet. Before MK, I only had limited interactions with systems outside this specific fandom — my knowledge about plurality was very limited. I knew that the MK show featured a DID system as their protagonist, but hesitated to watch at first, having heard all the past warnings about horrible DID rep in general media. After watching the show, I came out pleasantly surprised by the care they've put in to subvert some (not all) harmful tropes and portrayed DID in a sympathetic light — but that was my perspective, and I knew my thoughts were limited.

The key point that I believe is more significant after my experience in watching it is that the show drove me to learn more about multiplicity, plurality, and systems in general. It made me read more about systems than I would've previously, understanding the different spectrums of amnesia, working out my internalized beliefs about systems, and reading what systems had to say about the show. Granted, the show is not perfect, and neither am I — surely, while creating fanwork, I might still mess up — but reading about systems from systems made me more aware of how DID / OSDD works.

It made me think about the importance of representation in media — how I could've gotten to this point much, much later in life if I didn't have an "easy" access to it. What I mean — again, from the humble opinion of a singlet — having a DID system as the protagonist of a TV series from a mainstream superhero franchise feels like it's a step forward in better representation in the future. It's a *Marvel* series — you can't get more mainstream than that. Yes, MK's far from perfect, and some areas still fall short under scrutiny, but I feel as if it was a step. A launching pad. Considering how beloved the character is by many, it would hopefully encourage other writers to create more plural characters, better representation, and encourage more people to educate themselves about plurality. I, myself, have a long way to go about that, but hope to keep learning about this subject and listen to what systems say about this show. Cheers to 3 years of Moon Knight!

42: I hyper fixated on Moon Knight when it first aired and I’m currently hyper fixating on it again lol this show is so amazing, all the people who worked on it are so talented!! I NEED Marvel to make more Moon Knight content because it’s been three years and idk how much longer I can wait before I just explode <3 anyways stay safe and take care everyone!!!

43: Moon Knight revealed some things about our system that eventually brought us a lot of peace so for that it will always be special. Our mental health before and after is drastically different for the better. We also found our new social home through it - shout out to all my friends I love you!!

44: I did throughly enjoyed the show when it came out and reconnected my love for comics as well as moon knight himself. My dad was actually a big fan of his back in the day and it was a good to connect bond over him. I really did kinda enjoy their own take on Moon Knight I was very intrigued and locked in for every episode because i didn’t know what will happen next! I still do have my problems with the show on how it’s showed and represented the system Jewish history. Fandom wise, it was a blast to connect, chat and share fan works and befriend people! Probably at the time of the height of moon knight it was the most interaction I’ve ever had before it was a blast.

45: I think the most meaningful thing that has come from it is community, and enjoying fandom spaces, again.

Before Moon Knight, I was at a low point in terms of social media. I didn’t feel encouraged to post the stuff I was making, less and less people were getting to engage with my work. I had considered starting over, taking down my account and trying again; it wouldn’t have been the first time.

It had been a while since I was absolutely obsessed with a piece of media to the point of creating so many works in tribute to it, and seeking out communities that did the same. I think college does that to people, sometimes. But Moon Knight had given that back to me at full force and it’s been carrying me through these past few years ever since. I would not have made the friends that I spend so much time with now, if it weren’t for the series.

It reminded me that growing up didn’t mean my passions and enjoyment of fandom faded. And while, sure, my attachment to the series had started as a fictional crush, I am beyond thankful that it lead me to people who want and continue to explore these characters in so much depth and detail, because that’s how much they mean to us.

On top of that, it pushed me to grow as an artist. It motivated me to continue learning how to draw people, and it’s wild to look back at 2022 and see that my work continued to evolve that much after graduating. And while my process is slower than it used to be, it’s still resulted in some of the proudest pieces I’ve ever made. And I hope I continue to exceed those expectations for myself within this community.

Loving the show and becoming so invested in Moon Knight has helped me realize I can still have a place in fandom and contribute to it with even more enthusiasm and care than I’ve ever had before. Even with there being some rough moments within said spaces, I think it has overall positively influenced me as a person, and I will always remember and be grateful for that :)

46: god i watched every episode over again before watching the new episode like a moon knight suicide run. it supported me through the last leg into graduation for my astronomy degree. the music kept me awake on my hour drive home after work at 12am.

47: The representation of DID was fantastic, and them being a hero rather than villainized was so refreshing to see in media. While I don't have DID, I do come from a background of childhood abuse and episode five hit close to home. Having a character that I can write and relate to because we share those experiences has been such a good outlet. MK will always mean a lot to me. I will always love on the boys. Happy to see so many other fans still love him too.

48: I'm a longtime fan of the Moon Knight comics, and took notice of the 2022 show when it was announced. I remember staying up until 3:00 AM every night to watch the episodes when they were released. Since the show has been out, I’ve been, for better or worse, pretty obsessively interested in it. I’ve read / watched every bit of PR or extra material for it, I’ve read nearly every fanfic on AO3 under the show’s tag, I’m half convinced that I’ve read the sum of anything on Reddit or Tumblr that’s been posted about it.

I really like the story of Marc’s struggle with guilt, the bond between Marc and Steven, and Steven’s courage in the face of people who shame them for their condition. Moon Knight is a regular guy thrown into weird, terrifying situations, who fights hard and makes it through. Let’s be clear: it’s not a great show. It’s like a 7/10 at best. It did, however, hit me with an emotional resonance that has persisted daily for the last three years. Grad school is rough, and Moon Knight The TV Show ( and wonderful inexplicably still ongoing comics series ) has been an anchor through all of it.

I’m also very happy to be a part of the Moon Knight fandom. I’d left my friend group of the last eight years about a year before the show had begun airing. Moon Knight as a fandom introduced me to many kind, creative, inspiring people, who I am very happy to know and known by. I’m glad to have friendly people who I can trade hobbies and interests with. Also glad that I now have a consenting audience for Moon Knight Updates / Trivia. Excellent.

49: While I do not have Dissociative Identity Disorder, I have dealt with other forms of mental illness since childhood. It's a messy thing, mental illness. Sometimes it wrecks your life, burdens other people, and makes you feel like you're in a hole that you can't crawl out of. I watched the show Moon Knight when I was going through a rough patch and found that I related to some of the struggles that Marc/Steven/Jake dealt with: difficulty holding down a job, feeling shame over having a stigmatized illness, feeling stuck in a twisted tangle of your own making. I felt seen in many ways. More importantly though, I came away from the show with the idea that you can be mentally ill and still save the world. It rekindled my hope and gave me the courage to keep moving forward—imperfect and stumbling, but still moving.

50: Moon Knight was the show that led me to reconnect with fanculture, namely, making fanart and engaging with the community, now learning fanfiction as well! I used to have a super big fear of sharing my thoughts online and engaging with fandoms due to experiences, but this was the show that encouraged me to dip back in — for the better. Will always thank it for that. Introduced me to its comics, too, and a whole other branch of heroes — love all of that.

51: Literally changed my life and gave me the space to reflect on whether or not I need to pursue therapy to finally obtain an OCD diagnosis. It's so near and so dear to my heart.

And well… those were all the answers I received!

I want to thank everyone who took the time to respond and share their perspectives and feelings. While I may not be as active in this fandom now as I was, I wanted to do something special for the show and fan space that helped me develop so much these last three years.

The Moon Knight show came out in my senior year of highschool. My dad recommended it to me as a fan of his comics, and while I didn’t listen to him for a while, a little after The Friendly Type came out, when I saw some of the clips and the depth of the acting, I started watching. And then I rewatched the first three episodes immediately after finishing them the first time haha.

It was like lighting, emotional and bright and all consuming as I find my fixations often are. I remember the unease of episode 4’s end, and the dreaded awful week that followed episode 5 when the discourse and theories were more bleak than most of us could handle. I remember the joy Gods and Monsters brought me, and I still feel that same joy today when I rewatch it. It’s just hope and love and life and fun and KAIJUS BAYBEEE!!

But yeah.

MK has been one of my most positive and comforting fandom experiences and it has made me write more than almost any other fandom (possibly more than any, I think it’s still top of my ao3). It’s also gotten me to do more stuff like cultural research and historical digging, and has more actively gotten me into reading current Marvel comics (Read the 2021 MacKay MK run all of yall please please please).

But the best thing is that through both the MCU and comic fandoms, I’ve met some of the most wonderful, creative, thoughtful people I’ve had the pleasure of befriending online. People I send letters to, talk to, share new non-Moon Knight interests with, and more. There’s been struggles within that too—nothing loved and gained and respected is ever fully easy and simple, and I’ve lost a good chunk of the friendships I made along the way—but I’m still thankful for what I’ve learned and the person it’s helped me to be now.

So to everyone in this space I’ve befriended, to everyone from it I don’t speak to anymore, and to everyone I’ve never met but who I’ve shared a tag or event or passion with, thank you, and I hope all of your lives improve with love, compassion, and respect as time continues to pass.

Let’s keep hoping for that season 2

—Michael “Tip” Tiptapricot 💪 🌙 💛💛💛

[m00nsbaby]

Already over.

Main Steven Grant x F! reader. ( + Marc Spector x F! Reader)

Part 2. Sleepwalking.

Warnings & tags. ANGTS!! Cheating kinda but not really?, hurt, and all of thaaaat.

Word count. 3.4k

Summary.

We been talking for hours About how we shouldn't talk for hours on end. Kissing after a conversation About how we'd probably be better off as friends. Same time here next weekend Say, "We won't do this again" Make me fall where I stand Only like you can.

It had been a while since Steven and you had accepted your positions in Marc's life. Both of you were external parts of something larger, like small protrusions on a road that led nowhere.

You decided to understand it when you realized the burden Marc had to carry. Khonshu had taken hold of his psyche and shattered it as he pleased, although he was aware of his dissociative identity disorder, he had started to lose control a long time ago and this resulted in Steven finding out in the worst possible way. It was as if life itself had decided to break him in every possible way.

Hadn't he suffered enough already? Steven and you weren't going to take away the last thing he had.

The love of his life. Layla El-Faouly.

You envied her in different ways. Living a life of adventures with the man of your dreams sounded like something out of a book. She was a strong woman and the first in Marc's life, and therefore also in Steven's, but if there was something that broke your heart in half, it was knowing that she was happy with him.

It would be a lie to say that you weren't happy with Steven. He gave you all of himself and loved you in a way he never tried to hide. But for years now, you had been the one picking up the pieces of two broken people and putting them back together. And then, there was Layla, who didn't even know about the existence of her husband's alter ego, enjoying the best part.

The carefree part that stood above all the atrocities of daily life, simply having a nice date or the official title of his wife, with a ring and legal documents.

"Do you miss working at the museum?" Steven's fingers traced your waistline, occasionally pausing to press on the moles peeking beneath the fabric of your short shirt.

"You have no idea how much." You could never tell him how much you appreciated that he didn't lie to you. You knew he comforted Marc by telling him that life was perfect just the way it was.

You were face to face. You admired Steven's face in front of you.

Anyone would think that once the issue of his fake sleep disorder was cleared up, he would look less tired. Although there were still hundreds of nocturnal missions, and Khonshu destroyed the mercenary's body until an exhaustion beyond description, now Steven could sleep a few more hours, the ones where he used to force himself to read until the letters danced before him.

Nothing had changed at all. In fact, you could swear that the dark circles under his eyes were becoming more noticeable.

"I love you, Steven." You said suddenly, resting a hand on his cheek. His skin had always been so soft and delightfully warm.

You brought a smile to his face, the one that momentarily makes you forget that both of you feel that time is running out.

The one that makes you forget the slight resentment you have towards Marc.

"I love you…" He whispered before leaning forward, just enough to brush his lips against yours, a gentle touch as his hand rested on your waist, and his thumb traced circles on your bare skin.

He wasn't lying; Steven never lied.

You spent the rest of the afternoon kissing and chatting about what had happened during the week you couldn't see each other. You asked about Layla as you always did, he shrugged, and you wondered if he felt the same resentment towards her that you felt towards Marc.

"The idea of vegan hot wings is stupid," you laughed as you bit into the vegetable in your hand, the one that was trying to deceive you and pass for something else.

"The sauce tastes good!" Steven laughed with you, playfully pushing you with his shoulder. To hell with sitting face to face in restaurants; if your bodies weren't close enough, neither of you were comfortable.

"It's a fraud."

"It's delicious." Seeing you take another bite was enough to feel that he was right without you explicitly saying it.

"Do you want to come to my apartment later?" You sucked your thumb to clean the sauce from it. "Yesterday, I accidentally stumbled upon a garage sale and bought the dumbest movie I've ever seen, I got it for us. It's called Rubber, and it's about a homicidal car tire."

Under any other circumstances, Steven would have laughed with you, but he gave you that look that you already knew too well.

"I'm sorry, love." Suddenly, the fake wings didn't look so appetizing. "Marc is feeling better."

Ah. That.

That was the signal that he would be spending the night with Layla.

"That's fine." You nodded immediately, and you also felt disgusted with the food in your hand.

How much longer could you go on like this?

After a few seconds of silence, you cleared your throat. You had some time to come up with a change of conversation.

"What happened to your hand?" Your index finger touched Steven's injured knuckles.

"Marc didn't keep the suit on long enough; the larger wounds healed, but the rest didn't." He never lied, although this might be the exception. A minor injury to prevent a bigger one; he wouldn't ruin his life over a trivial matter.

You nodded slowly, planted a kiss on his shoulder, and continued with your attempt at a date, which was going perfectly until you remembered where you were standing.

The truth was that the night before, Steven had had a fight with Marc, one of those that hadn't happened since they threatened not to switch bodies back to each other.

"Are you two together, Steven?" He was about to explode, about to go crazy. This was the last thing he needed right now, adding more lies and involving more people. "I already told you, no!" Ever since you considered the possibility that Marc might find out, you had decided that if it was a panic situation, you would opt for the most efficient plan: Deny, deny, deny, deny. "Don't lie to me, not to me!" He never yelled; he was the calculating, quiet, and careful type, but even he had a breaking point, and if Steven was going to shout, then he would too. "Do you think I'm stupid, Steven?" It's funny because he hadn't had any doubts until a few weeks ago, so maybe he was a bit stupid, but he wouldn't say it out loud. "No, no, but…" "But?" "We're not together, Marc; she's my best friend." The second part was at least not a lie. He exhaled heavily and mentally thanked for being in front because dealing with anger, panic, and fear without having control over your body was a nightmare he had experienced before. Why did he ever buy so many mirrors? Marc's accusing gaze followed him around the apartment. "And you like her," Steven completed, another thing that wasn't a lie. "If I lose Layla because of you two, I swear I'll…" Adrenaline rushed through him; he lost control of his hand, which ended up against one of the mirrors, breaking it into a thousand pieces. "Marc!" The other didn't say anything, he watched from the reflection of some glass pieces as Steven's hand now bled, and tears filled his eyes. His body was used to large doses of pain, but emotionally, he wasn't used to seeing himself bleed or handling loud noises well. "We. Are. Not. Together." It was the last thing he said as he stretched his fingers and watched the blood flow between them. Marc was no longer in the reflection. He didn't want to object.

"Will I see you the day after tomorrow?" You could still see him tomorrow, but the idea of him coming to your place smelling of Layla's citrusy perfume always disgusted you. It was as if an extra day would be enough to erase any traces of her from his body.

"The day after tomorrow, without fail." Steven knew; he didn't question you. He placed a kiss on your forehead.

"I love you, Steven."

"I love you, sweetheart."

Receiving calls or visits at midnight was always terrifying, especially when you knew your partner was constantly at risk, and this time was no exception.

The strong knocks on the door woke you up, and knowing it could be no one else but him, you opened the door without hesitation. Clad only in Steven's shirt that barely covered your thighs, with messy hair and half-closed eyes because the hallway light bothered you in the darkness.

Marc's tearful eyes met yours, along with the strong aroma of whiskey that Steven had told you about before, the one that stung his nose.

"Are you okay?" It was the first thing you said as he analyzed you from head to toe. He hated you, hated that you looked so good in the middle of the night, and hated that he felt a sense of ownership just from seeing you in a shirt that was originally his.

He didn't answer, he walked straight into your apartment, and you could only step aside to let him pass.

The way he walked past the sofas to sit on the floor was frightening; you had spent time with Marc during bad moments, but you had never seen him like this. You didn't say anything, didn't press, you just walked behind him and sat down beside him on the cold floor.

Your mere presence was enough for his eyes to fill with tears again.

"I didn't know where to go," he whispered, breaking your heart into a thousand pieces with just a few words.

"Oh, Marc." You knelt beside him to have better access to his body, and within seconds, you had your arms wrapped around him, holding him close. "I'm here, calm down."

You didn't get more words from him for a while, just sobs and those annoying chest contractions you get when you try to breathe through crying. You could even feel the fabric of your shirt damp at the shoulder level from his tears.

"I'm scared." His voice was broken, trembling.

"I'm here." You repeated as you held him tighter.

He didn't have the strength to tell you. He was afraid of you. Afraid of the dreams where he saw himself with you, afraid of the way his heart raced the few times you crossed paths, afraid of losing Layla because of his feelings, and afraid of change.

He was terrified of the mere idea of his life changing completely again.

You played with his curls and stayed on your knees until they hurt, with him in your arms whimpering like a little kid.

"Let's go to bed, Marc." He didn't resist, and you led him by the hand.

Nor did he object when you helped him get rid of his clothes just so he could sleep a little better. He almost felt guilty about how comfortable he seemed to be in your bed.

You hugged him from behind, your two hands resting on his chest where you could feel the beating of his heart and the rise and fall of his breath. Your cheek enjoyed the warmth of his back.

When you woke up, there were no traces of Marc anymore.

"Meanwhile, Osiris' wife, Isis, searched tirelessly for his body and then…" The way you were looking at the ground while walking had caught Steven's attention for quite a while, but he didn't confirm his suspicions until he noticed you weren't participating in his narration as you always used to do. "Lovey?"

"Huh?"

"You seem distracted today."

"I'm sorry, I, it's just…" You cleared your throat while forcing a small smile on your face.

"Do you like it here?" He interrupted to finally point out an area in the park that seemed perfect for your plan. You immediately nodded with that fake smile, and both of you sat down carefully on the grass. You placed the book you had been carrying in one hand aside.

Steven handed you your ice cream and kept his own in the other hand.

"Can we talk?"

"Nothing good ever comes out of that, I've seen it in movies." Steven tried to joke, but hearing those words come out of your mouth made him sick to his stomach. Slowly, he rested his head on your lap.

Your hand, as if drawn by a magnet, went straight to his tousled curls. He closed his eyes and smiled; you had always compared that gesture to a puppy seeking more affection.

"We can't keep doing this to Marc, love." Your voice broke as you gave him those caresses he loved so much. "Nor to Layla, it's not fair to them."

Steven was looking at you again, with a terrified expression and a slight pout on his lips.

"And is it fair to us?" he snapped. Needless to say, both of you had long stopped paying attention to your sad ice creams; they were already melting into the grass.

"If Layla finds out, we'll ruin Marc's life." You tried to be the rational one between both of you, but with Steven's puppy eyes fixed on you, it was almost impossible to think clearly.

"And if we end… this, mine will be destroyed." Well, he had a point. "Please." His two hands went to your cheeks and pressed them gently, his forehead now resting against yours. "We can't. You can't." His lips claimed yours within seconds, and you could only respond as if life were slipping away.

Whom were you fooling? You were selfish enough to give in. After all, every night you created scenarios where Layla found out and left Marc, knowing that it would destroy him, but in your scenarios, you were there to comfort him, to prevent him from falling apart.

"I love you, Steven." You didn't get a response, but you didn't need to hear it; feeling the strength with which he held you was more than enough.

You were all he had, and he was all you had.

Life was better when you both pretended to have a life that wasn't yours. When you fantasized and made plans for a future you would both do anything to have.

"What do you think of that one?" You both looked like kids with your foreheads pressed against the glass that separated you from the kittens.

"They say the orange ones are crazy, lovey." The fact that Steven was just as interested as you in this fed your good mood entirely. "How about that one?"

"I like his or her fur." You pressed your index finger against the glass to try to get the attention of the kitty that was completely distracted playing with another.

"Love, love, love." He nudged you with his shoulder, making you laugh, so you looked at the opposite side, another part of the store.

You gasped.

"THAT ONE?" You had to cover your mouth when the tone of your voice caught the attention of other people in the place.

There was only one cat in the area reserved for senior cats. You knew it was harder for them to get adopted compared to the kittens, it was as if he was destined to be there.

"It's just a baby." You pouted slightly as you pulled Steven's hand, both walking straight towards the spot where the little cat was staring at you.

He was white, although half of his body was covered in black spots, reminiscent of a cow's fur. When you got closer, you noticed that the tip of one of his ears was missing.

Love at first sight.

"Hiya, mate." The guy next to you was as enchanted as you with the animal. "Uhm, what do you say?" He tilted his head towards the glass. The meow completed his performance. "Look how curious, he says he's looking for new parents."

You laughed, genuine happiness coursing through you. You didn't give Steven time to react before jumping into his arms; he lifted you a few inches off the ground in the middle of the hug.

You didn't care about drawing attention. In fact, having witnesses to your love made it feel more real, reminding you that it wasn't just a product of your imagination.

After he kissed your lips, you could feel the ground under your feet again. You couldn't stop smiling.

"Come on, let's fill out the form." Steven's heart was about to burst with love at any moment.

The instructions were clear: fill out the corresponding paperwork, a few days of socialization with the cat to make sure he felt comfortable with you, and by the following week, he would be yours.

"We'll come to see you, okay? And then we'll go home."

"See ya, buddy." Steven said his goodbye too. "Next week, you'll have the best home, the comfiest bed, and the best parents, I promise."

"What's wrong, Marc?" There was something scary about the idea of being alone with him without him being intoxicated or injured. You were taking off your scarf to leave it on a sofa while he watched you from his table, leaning against it with his arms crossed over his chest.

It was impossible to read his expression because Marc always seemed tense.

"She knows."

Your heart sank in seconds, and you looked at him in surprise.

"Ah?"

"She knows," he repeated. You swallowed hard, and for a moment, you thought this was one of those silly dreams that sometimes distorted your reality.

"Knows what?"

"Please, don't treat me like I'm stupid." His tone of voice was enough to make you tremble. You immediately looked at the bathroom mirror.

Steven had told you that while one had control of the body, the other could be reflected in different surfaces, but of course, that only worked between them. No matter how much you looked, hoping that Steven would appear to save you, it didn't happen.

You didn't even know if he was aware of what Marc was doing.

"I don't…" Your voice died down slowly, and you refused to get closer to him. "What does she know?"

"About you." He took a step closer, and you felt immobilized. "She thinks you're my lover, like any sane person, she knows nothing about Steven."

You swallowed the lump in your throat as tears filled your eyes.

"You have to tell her, Marc, explain to her she…" He interrupted you in seconds; the way he raised his voice made you flinch.

"'She will understand?' Is that what you want to say?" He was getting closer, and you felt like he was taking your breath away. Why were you suddenly so afraid? "Yes, I'll tell her every damn thing that's wrong with me so that you can be happy."

Ouch.

"I-I'm saying it for you, Marc." Tears were already streaming down your face, and you mentally cursed yourself for the mere idea of showing so much weakness. "She has to know, it's best for you." And it was, of course, but you were resorting to your last resort to not lose Steven too.

And maybe, not lose Marc either.

"You don't know what's best for me, you have no idea." His sarcasm cut deep as he took the last step to confront you.

"Please, please, don't do this." You pleaded through sobs; your hands ended up on his cheeks. "Please." You pulled him closer to you.

He seemed to relax under your touch, at least for a few seconds. Your heart stopped when one of his hands rested on your waist.

"Don't make this harder, you're killing me." He was also begging, even as his forehead pressed against yours.

"We can get through this, Marc." You sniffed. "I promise, we can…"

A kiss. A desperate and painful kiss silenced your words; it was the only one Marc and you would share.

"Go," he whispered against your lips, still planting small kisses on them. "Please, I beg you, go."

And that was the final nail to seal the coffin between you both.

His hand made you take a step back, a very gentle push.

"I'm choosing her." He knew you better than he'd like, knowing that you wouldn't stop insisting unless he caused you permanent harm. Besides, how could he convince himself he wasn't in love with you if he didn't do this?

You looked at him incredulously, not believing his act, but there was nothing else you could do.

This time, you begged that Steven was present to hear everything that had transpired between you both because you wouldn't have the strength to end it after this. In fact, you didn't even know if you'd have the strength to live without him.

You didn't say anything more, you didn't look back at him, and he didn't change his mind. You left his apartment, leaving your scarf on his sofa as a final reminder of your presence in his life.

sorry, i got tired of happy endings

Part 2. Sleepwalking.

[aro-of-argentum]

Red Dahlia- Chapter 5

WC: 5,353

Notes: We're starting to get into the longer chapters now, Reader gets a new present, more Marcy content, Alfred is a good grandpa, Motorcycle date, no major warnings, spooky suspense right at the end

Beta'd by: @teaspacebar

Previous Chapter, Masterlist, Next Chapter

Chapter 5:

It had only taken two days for Alfred to get his request together.

“Master Jason,” Alfred addressed the younger man as he strode into the kitchen.

“Hey, Alfred, are they ready?”

He nodded in response as he handed over the box, “Two identical geolocation bracelets with proximity indicators, not tracked by any of the computers in the cave.”

The smile on Jason’s face only grew as he opened the small case.

“I’ve taken the liberty of having them adorned with your symbol,” Alfred continued. “They’re themed in your colors, and both recharge with body heat, so as long as they are being worn, they will not die.”

“Excellent. And-”

“And no one knows they exist but you and I.”

Jason nodded, appreciation woven into his features. “Thank you, Alfred.”

“Of course, Master Jason.” The man began moving around the kitchen, collecting supplies to make tea. “Am I allowed to ask who these belong to?”

“Well, one of them is mine,” Jason answered, clearly trying to avoid the question.

“Yes, of course,” he responded, tone neutral as ever. “And the other?”

“A friend.”

Alfred watched as Jason’s stare lingered on the bracelets, a smile just beginning to pull at the corners of his mouth. The young man was clearly lost in thought about something that made him truly happy.

“The same friend who now owns the Red Hood mug you purchased last week?”

Jason’s head popped back up, eyes wide like a child who’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. His cheeks faintly blushed. He hesitated slightly before giving his answer, “Yes…”

“And does this person know of your hobbies?”

“She only knows about my hobbies.”

Alfred nodded. “Very well. I’m glad you like them, Master Jason.”

-

“Please, can we just go for one drink?”

“Marce, I’m exhausted. I do not want to get dressed up and go back outside.” You had worked a 10-hour day, and Marcy, the wonderful scrub nurse that she was, had picked up someone else’s shift, and worked a 14. “How are you even still standing?”

“Far too much caffeine.” Her tone was matter-of-fact as she stood up straight and made a mocking expression of pride. She deflated a bit before continuing, “Can we do a movie night or something at least? I feel like we haven’t hung out in forever.”

“Sure, that sounds like fun. But!” You jumped to smother her loud and immediate excitement. “I need to go home and get different clothes, shower too. I smell like work.”

She waved you off as the pair of you continued toward the staff lounge your lockers were in. “Oh, that’s fine. Do you want me to drive you?”

“No, I can walk like I always do. Why don’t you do a food run and then come get me?” You offered, needing your walk home to decompress.

“You think my snack run is going to take that much time?” She questioned.

You squinted, turning toward her as you pushed through the door of the staff lounge. “Doesn’t it always by the time you’ve picked the perfect ‘on-theme’ dinner, snacks, and wine?”

She gasped. “I’ve been perceived in a way I don’t like. But I suppose you’re right.” She grabbed her bag from her locker as you opened yours. “I’ll come pick you up when I’m done. And it’s not too late so you should be fine walking, yeah?”

Your attention was drawn to the little envelope you found in your locker with your name written on it in a familiar script. You did your best to respond like you had been paying attention, “Yeah, that’s fine…” You reached for the capsule and found it had some weight to it. You didn’t notice Marcy had continued speaking.

“…listening? I asked what kind of-” Her sentence died in her throat as her gaze landed on you. “What’s that?”

“Oh! Um,” You startled.

An even bigger gasp left her. “You were having a moment! Is that from a secret boyfriend of something?” She said casually, entirely dismissing the idea to herself as soon as it came out of her mouth.

“Shh! Marcy!” You yelled in a hush.

She let out another dramatic gasp, though quieter this time. “Oh my god, it is!” An excited smile crossed her face as she insisted, “Well, open it!”

“Okay, okay, give me second,” Your nerves spiked at what could possibly be in here, and the fact that you were about to open it with an audience. You pulled apart the seal of the envelope and turned it over with your other hand beneath the opening. Out slid a bracelet made of black chord, with two blood red metal beads on each side of the center disc. Your jaw dropped slightly in surprise at the gift as you examined it further. Flipping it over revealed a line-work dahlia flower in the face of the gun metal circle. Is this what he meant the other night?

“It looks like one of those companion bracelets, here.” She reached toward the disc and pressed on the face of it. It lit up with a soft glow for a couple of seconds before fading. “Now wait,” She instructed, clearly excited to see the result of her experiment.

You hadn’t expected anything until you saw it light back up, neither of you having touched it. Your shock was still written all over your expression when the other woman spoke up again.

“Aw!” Marcy’s hands flew to her face in adored excitement. “He’s thinking about you too!” She reached for your hands, grabbing the bracelet from you, and when you flinched and reached for it, she was quick to calm you. “Relax, which wrist?” She offered the bracelet, opened now, back out to you.

“Oh, here,” You presented your left wrist and Marcy slid the chord around your hand before tightening it to a comfortable degree.

“It’s adorable, and he clearly he’s been paying attention enough to know your favorite flower.”

“Yeah,” a smile replaced your shock, the heat of a blush creeping up the back of your neck at the thought that the Red Hood had at some point figured out you preferred dahlias.

Marcy scooched in close to you and smiled conspiratorially at you, wagging her eyebrows. “Are you going to tell me about him or what?”

You huffed a laugh. “Absolutely not.”

“Fine. Have your secrets, but I’ll find out eventually.” She turned away from you in time to miss the bracelet glow again briefly. “Let’s get going. It’s early enough we could probably watch two movies if we want. Maybe start a series. You’ll tell me more when you’re tired.”

You shook your head good-naturedly. “I won’t, but okay.” It only took a moment for you to grab the rest of your things before the two of you were headed toward the front doors of the hospital. You looked down to your wrist again and noticed the glow pulse again, though for a shorter time than before. As you continued to walk, you and your friend kept your heads down, knowing that if anyone saw you, they’d stop you for something. While your gaze was on the floor, you couldn’t help but notice that your bracelet’s light was pulsing faster, each time maintaining the soft brightness, but showing for shorter times, with shorter breaks. Worried it would catch someone’s attention, you turned it inward and jammed your hands into your pockets. Once you were outside, Marcy pulled you to the side.

“Okay, so the plan is for me to go get food and wine, while you go home and get cleaned up. Then, I’ll come get you and take us back to mine for movies, yeah?”

“Yep, sounds good.” You nodded as you spoke.

“Excellent, see you soon!” And she bounded away.

The moment she was gone, you pulled your hand from your pocket and looked to the inside of your wrist where the light was now rapidly blinking. “What?” You whispered to yourself, barely audible. Just when you were about to try tapping again to see if something was wrong, you saw the white light disappear, and in its place, still a soft glow, was Red Hood’s blood red insignia. No sooner than you’d seen it, you looked up to the rooftops, and found him, for just a moment, looking down at you. You smiled, and in a blink, he was out of sight, but the glowing symbol on your wrist told you he was there for your entire walk home.

-

The routine became standard procedure for Jason. He volunteered to be out on patrol more often, and if the bracelet (tucked under the edge of his glove for safekeeping) lit up, he was at the hospital in minutes. Sometimes it was near the beginning of his shift, sometimes it was later, but anytime you walked home after dark, he was there, and now you had proof of that. There were even nights that you would put a headphone in and rant, trying to make it look like you were on the phone, as you talked into thin air about your day. He always listened. It didn’t interfere with his regular patrols as long as he didn’t stick around once you’d made it inside your apartment, so no one noticed anything had changed.

It was the nights that he wasn’t supposed to be on patrol, but went out anyway, that drew attention.

“Master Jason,” Alfred announced himself by calling after the younger man.

Jason froze, half dressed in his uniform, one foot in the air as he was tying the laces on his boot. “Yes, Alfred.”

“I apologize, I thought you had the evening off.” Alfred gave him a knowing look. “Was there a last-minute substitution?”

No, and Alfred knows that. “Uh…” He hesitated and turned toward the doorway the older man stood in, setting his foot down. “No.”

Alfred nodded. “Mhmm. So where is it that you plan to go in your costume this evening?”

“I have to go make sure a friend gets home from work.”

“Your normal patrol route is well covered by masters Tim and Cassandra.”

It’s not the same. “I just-” Jason’s thought was cut off by the glow from his wrist in an otherwise dark room.

“Ah. That friend.” Alfred’s smirk was almost perfectly professional, but there was a hint of victory in it.

“Alfred, I need to go.” He was almost pleading. “And no one-”

“I am aware you do not wish to share your activities with the others. What I care about is your safety.” Alfred remained firmly planted in the door as Jason approached, the younger man’s clear advantage in size doing nothing to deter him.

Jason relented with a sigh. “I am being careful, and safe, I promise. I just-” Jason’s face and hands clenched as he struggled to come up with the words. But how could he possibly explain it? To any normal person, none of what he felt would make sense. “Alfred, she’s waiting for me.” The flashing light on his wrist seemed to assert itself as part of the conversation again, just to help Jason with his point.

“Very well,” Alfred side-stepped out of the doorway as he spoke. “Master Bruce plans to be home early this evening, if that should be factored into your plans.”

A small smile crept onto Jason’s face as he listened. “Thank you, Alfred.” He slid past the other man and made his way toward the garage, far faster than was appropriate indoors, but not quite a run. Once there, he zipped his jacket to cover the symbol on his chest, and pulled his motorcycle helmet on. He still wore the domino mask beneath the visor, but his Red Hood helmet was stashed in the bag on his back along with an extra set of riding gear. He grabbed a second helmet, one he was fairly certain would fit you, and left the garage. “I’m on my way,” he said out loud though he knew you couldn’t hear him.

He had noticed over the last 3 weeks that you’d grown more sure-footed on your journey home each night. Ever since the bracelet, you’d been visibly less scared of walking down the street, so sure that he would step in and protect you if you needed it. He’d also noticed that you always waited for him if he said he was coming. There had been times (only twice so far) that he’d been in the middle of a fight and unable to answer, that you’d walked home alone, but he always went to check on you later, and always found you safe at home. The rest of the time though, if he switched the bracelet to flash for proximity so you knew he was coming, you stayed at the hospital until he was there. It’s her safest option, the cynicism in him entered his thoughts. Why would she walk alone if she could have a guard dog following her. But there was something in him that hoped you felt differently.

-

You were concerned at first by how long the light indicated he was coming, but that he hadn’t started moving. The slow pulse of the light hadn’t sped up at all, and indicated he was still far away. A frown crossed your face. Normally he’s moving by now.

 “What’s the matter?” Marcy asked. She was on break as you were clocking out, and you’d decided to spend the time with her. She was going back in soon though, which is why you’d activated the bracelet.

“Oh, it’s nothing, I’m just-”

Marcy caught you glance down to your wrist. “Oh, babes, has he not responded? I’m sure everything’s okay, he’s probably just busy.”

“Yeah. No, I know.” You looked down again and noticed the light pulsing significantly faster, he’d gotten a lot closer, and he’d done it quickly. “Okay, he’s coming.” The phrase was whispered on a breath of relief, not meant for anyone to hear, but the other woman caught it anyway.

“What!?” Marcy shrieked. “He’s coming here? Now?”

“No!” Shit. How were you going to explain this away. No, he wasn’t coming here, at least not in a way that would satisfy Marcy’s need for proof he was real. “No, Marcy that’s not-” but your sentence was cut off by the sound of an engine rumbling down the street.

It was a motorcycle, and when you looked at the rider, you saw him pull one hand from the bars to tap his other wrist, and the light on your bracelet went red. Your eyes went wide at the sight, and you crammed your hands into your pockets to hide the glowing Red Hood symbol on your wrist from the woman standing next to you, now almost bouncing with excitement.

“Is that him?” She had a death grip on your arm as she looked to you, just as shocked as you felt.

“Yeah, I uh,” You shrugged and gave an apologetic cringe as you spoke, “I didn’t think you’d still be out here when he got here.”

“Hey sweetheart,” The man spoke from under his helmet as he stopped in front of the two of you, “Sorry I’m late, I got caught up at the house.”

You huffed a laugh, so the plan was to act as normal as possible, okay. “It’s fine. I’m happy to see you.”

“Here,” he said as he pulled his backpack off and unzipped it, pulling out a second helmet, a pair of riding pants, a leather jacket, and gloves. “Get dressed.” He handed you the pants and jacket, both a little big, which you quickly pulled on over your scrubs. As you reached for the helmet, you heard Marcy’s throat clear behind you.

“Um, hi?”

“Right!” You turned, an anxiety covering your features in embarrassment of almost having forgotten she was standing there. “So, this is-”

“Marcy, right?” He interrupted you and reached his gloved hand out to shake hers. “I’ve heard a lot about you. It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.”

“Oh, thanks,” She squinted at him skeptically. “Y/n hasn’t told me much about you.”

He laughed and nodded his head a little, “Yeah, that’s on me, I’m a pretty private person.” When he turned to you, your cheeks heated as you realized you’d been staring. He didn’t turn away from you, even as he continued speaking. “We actually have something to get to, so we need to get going.” He slid the helmet over your head and tilted your chin up to fasten the strap. “Feel okay?” He asked, his hand still on the bottom of your helmet by your jaw. You nodded and he turned back to Marcy. “It was nice to meet you.” There was a charm in his voice that you could tell wasn’t something he used regularly as Red Hood.

“Yeah, you too I guess.” She looked at you with wide eyes, seemingly impressed. “I’ll see you later?”

You pulled the gloves on, then took the backpack the man handed you and threw it over your shoulders, sliding onto the bike behind him before you looked back to Marcy. “Of course. Bye, Marce.” You gave her a little wave and watched as your friend returned inside, her break well over. You began to reach for the sides of the seat outside your legs, but your wrist was caught.

“Here,” he said, sliding your arm around his waist and waiting for you to do the same with the other. He squeezed his hand over both of yours before reaching back to the bar. “It’ll be easier for you to hold on like that. You ready?”

You heard his voice clear as day through the helmet and could only assume there was some kind of comm system in them. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

He took off slowly at first, to allow you time to get used to how it felt, and you squeezed your arms around him a bit tighter as the bike sped up once you were out of the hospital’s parking lot.

A comfortable silence stretched for a moment before you spoke. “You really laid it on thick back there.”

He tensed under your grasp. “Too much? I didn’t want your friend to think you were just getting on a bike with some stranger…” He hesitated slightly, “Though I guess you kind of did.”

“No, it was fine, I just would have participated more if I’d been prepared.” You flattened one of your hands out against the bottom of his sternum, “And I don’t think we’re strangers.”

He let out a light-hearted scoff. “Oh, and you know me so well.”

“I know you’d never hurt me.”

Jason’s breath caught in his throat. “Never,” the word came out just above a whisper, but he knew you’d hear it. He met your hand on his chest with his own and for a moment he laced his fingers through yours but quickly pulled them away. He cleared his throat, trying to clear his mind, and found himself silently tankful for the helmet that would stop him from kissing your knuckles if he tried. “Do you want me to take you home, or do you want to go for a ride?”

He felt your head cock to the side against his back. “You’re not on patrol tonight?”

“No.”

“Then I’d love to go for a ride.”

Jason could hear the smile in your voice, and one quickly covered his face to match. “Yes ma’am.” When your apartment building came into view, it just as quickly passed, and he got onto the freeway to get out of the central part of the city. There was hardly any traffic at this time of night and an idea popped into Jason’s mind. “Hold tight, okay?”

“Okay?” You drew out the word, clearly nervous, and tightened your grip on him a bit.

“You ready?”

“Sure?”

Jason gunned it, and heard you yelp just before your entire torso crushed into his back, your arms like a vice around him. He leaned forward a bit himself as he wove around the occasional car, going far faster than he should have been. He even thought he heard you laughing a little as he sped down the road.

“Doing okay?” he asked, eyes still affixed to the road.

“I’m amazing!” You shouted back, laughter still embedded in your voice.

Jason could feel how you’d relaxed against him, though your grip was still tight, and he gradually slowed to the normal speed of traffic. He dropped his hand to cover yours where it sat against his abdomen and drew small patterns with his thumb over the back of your hand. “You okay to make a stop?”

“You’re driving, Red, I’ll go wherever.” And you meant it. You knew he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you, which meant you felt safe wherever he wanted to go.

It only took a few minutes for the two of you to get to the edge of the city, and you watched as the lights faded into the background. It was a little while longer before he eventually pulled the bike onto a side road and finally stopped in a small parking lot. It was an unlit lookout on the road that you suspected was meant to show off the water just over the cliffs during daylight hours.

“Can you see the water this late?” You asked, bringing your leg over the seat to stand on the ground.

He also dismounted and when you turned to look at him, he brought his hand to your chin again. “Not what we’re here for.” He titled your head up to direct your eyes to the sky. He quickly undid the strap of your helmet, and let you pull it off yourself to continue looking up.

“Wow,” you breathed the word, seeing stars for the first time in a long time with no light pollution to interfere. “It’s beautiful.”

Jason’s gaze stayed firmly on you as you stared up. “Yeah.”

“It’s been years since I’ve seen stars like this.”

“Don’t get out of the city often?”

You shook your head, “Never. And even when I lived in Star City, I didn’t… It always seemed like more trouble than it was worth.”

“I’m glad I got to bring you out here then.” He smiled, and you could hear it in his tone, though he hadn’t removed his helmet.

“Me too.” A smile stretched your face once more and you found yourself wondering how long it had been since you’d smiled this much. “Oh, hey,” A thought dawned on you as your gaze fell to your hands for a moment. “I have a couple questions for you.”

“Sure,” He leaned back slightly against the motorcycle as he responded, “go for it.”

You lifted your wrist so your bracelet was more in line of sight. “I think I have this figured out. I tap it and it lights up, you tap yours and it starts flashing, the flashes get faster the closer you are, and then when you’re nearby you tap it again and mine turns red.”

He listened intently and nodded along as you spoke. “All true, what’s your question?”

“Is there anything else I should know?”

He bobbed his head to the side and back before fully turning toward you. “Well, for one, it works both ways.” He brought his wrist up to be level with yours, and you noticed that it was identical to yours, including the engraved dahlia on the face. He tapped the disc on his and you saw both bracelets light up with the soft white glow. “Now if you tap to acknowledge it, they’ll start flashing for proximity,” the bracelets did exactly as he said they would when you tapped yours; they both were flashing rapidly in sync. “And again?” You did as he asked and watched them both light up with his symbol.

Jason saw your smile when you noticed the bracelets matched in appearance and function, and his heart skipped in his chest. He’d make you smile like that forever if he could. “Oh, and,” He started, remembering the other function he’d yet to show you. “Turn the face of the disc clockwise,” He waited until you’d done it and a basic map appeared in hologram just above the disc, a single red dot displayed just off the road. “That’s us.” He pointed vaguely toward the small projection. “It’ll show up as two separate marks when we aren’t together.”

Your smile dropped slightly as your expression turned to one of pestering with a single cocked eyebrow. “So, you can see my location whenever then?”

“No, no, no,” The repeated words came out so fast they almost blended together. “They only show up when the bracelets are activated. So, unless you call for me, no, I can’t see where you are.”

“But if yours is active, then I can see where you are too?” A mischievous grin crossed your features. “Doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose of having a secret vigilante base?”

“I am trusting that this isn’t going to come back and bite me in the ass.” Jason’s tone softened slightly as he saw your smile return to something more genuine and you nodded. “And besides, the tracker would only pick up so far as the entrances, anything further in gets its signal blocked.”

“There it is.” You chuckled to yourself. “That sounds more like the broody gang of Gotham’s heroes.”

He snorted and shook his head. “Always with the “hero” thing.”

“When you decide to retire from saving people just because you can, then we’ll talk.”

He’s not a hero. “You do know I’ve killed people, right?”

You turned your entire body to face him. “Innocent people?”

“No…”

“Then it doesn’t change anything.”

He sighed, truly not knowing what to say. He wasn’t a good person. He hadn’t been for a long time. So, what would happen when you figured that out and didn’t want anything to do with him anymore?

“So, do vigilantes have a curfew when they aren’t on patrol?” You chose to avoid the word “hero” since it had seemed to strike a nerve.

Jason pulled himself from his thoughts to answer, “Not those of us that are adults.” He looked down at his watch and found it read after 1 am. If Batman was calling it an early night, then he’d be home any time now, and Jason needed to beat him there if he wanted to avoid any questions. “We do probably need to head back though.”

You nodded as you reached for your helmet where it sat on the back of the bike. “Right, it’s easy to forget sometimes that the Robins have all been kids.” You shook your head before sliding the helmet on. “I feel like there should be rules against that. No ten-year-old needs to be out all night throwing themselves into the line of fire for a grown man, just to get up and go to school the next morning.”

He only watched you struggle with the strap of your helmet for a moment before he reached to fix it for you. “Well, the current robin is more than capable, but I’m sure I could let him know how you feel if you’d like.”

“Hey, Red?”

“Hm?” He tilted your head back down to look at him.

“Do you like working with Batman?” You asked cautiously.

You heard him exhale through the helmet as he considered the question. “There is a long and very complicated answer to that, which I would love to give you after I’ve had more time to think about it.”

You nodded, accepting the answer as being what he could give you right now.

“You ready to go?”

“Almost,” you responded. “I just have one more question. What’s in the bag?” You used your thumb to point to the backpack still on your shoulders.

“My other helmet.”

“Ah.” You nodded a little. “Always have to be prepared, huh?”

He let out a dry chuckle. “Always.”

The ride home was comfortable, and mostly quiet. You clung tightly to Red Hood for the entire drive, even in slower areas where it wasn’t as necessary. He spent almost the entire time driving one-handed, as his other hand rested over the top of yours, always tracing patterns with his thumb. It made your heart race, and you were worried that he might have been able to feel it through the back of his jacket, but he made no mention of it either way. You couldn’t explain how you’d grown to trust the man so much, but you knew somewhere deep down that nothing bad could happen to you if he was around. You wanted nothing more in the world than to find a way to show him the same. That if he needed you, or even just wanted you to be around, to care for him or anything else, you would.

The drive back to your apartment was over far too soon, and you were stopped outside the building’s front door. You peeled yourself away and off the bike and began to fumble once again with the strap of the helmet.

Jason huffed at you, “Comere,” he made the “gimme” motion with his hands and once you were close enough, he undid the strap and let go of you. “You’re gonna have to learn to do this on your own at some point, Sweetheart.”

“Not if I always have you around to do it for me.” You shocked yourself with the comment that slipped out before you could stop it. He hummed appreciatively, and you were desperate for a change of subject as your face heated up. “Did you want me to put all of this back in your bag?” You asked, already pulling the gloves off.

“Sure,” he said with a soft nod. “I’ll keep it set aside for you. If you want this to be a regular thing though, we’re going to have to get something figured out that fits you a little better.” The comment was directed mostly at the pants, which you had sinched in as far as they’d go to get them to stay. It only took a moment for you to be back in just your normal clothes, riding gear handed off and put back in the backpack now in his hands.

“Agreed. But we can figure that out later.” You waited for him to sling the backpack onto his shoulders before you moved to hug him. The angle was a little awkward because he was still on the bike, but you didn’t let it break down the courage it had taken to do it. Your grip on him only tightened when you felt his arms wrap around you too. “Thank you, Red.” You knew your voice was muffled slightly by his jacket, but you hoped he’d hear you anyway.

“Of course,” His response was breathed on a sigh of relief as he held you.

When the hug broke, you brought a hand up to the side of his riding helmet briefly, bidding him goodnight before you turned to go inside.

Jason found himself stuck for a moment. He waited until you were in the elevator before he made any attempt to right himself and get moving again. He was right. He had proof now, that you liked him as a person, not just a guard dog, and that you enjoyed his company. He couldn’t help the happiness and relief that washed over him, and he released a sigh that was half laughter and he hung his head for a moment to collect himself. You’d hugged him so tight, and on the drive you’d clung to him, you had tried to comfort him. You cared for him; you’d even flirted. He smirked to himself and picked his head back up, straightening himself out before starting the bike again and rolling out.

Jason had been so distracted that he failed to notice the silhouette of another vigilante watching the entire encounter from the rooftop across the street.

Tag List: @4rachn3, @lettucel0ver

[moonshynecybin]

would you mind sharing your marc marquez likes you power ranking?

im still working it out in my minddddd… so. with the caveat that i am just saying words recreationally:

alex

HUGE gap

aleix has known him FOREVER. theyre complex but im throwin him here bc there arent many men on the grid marc would let ass-lift him to the moon

im gonna say. fabio. traded helmets. always friendly. also fabio LOVES HIM and marc will usually match someone's energy…. have they hung out much this year? no. but we always have TOMORROW

enea… maybe… he’s ALSO known him about ten years by now and enea is like. the contrarian of the italians. friendly little guys having gay brunch together as ive discussed… again marc WILL meet your energy and i think enea is just kind of a dreamy lil sweetie sometimes and he can leave stuff on track pretty well. marc appreciates that i would wager…

about on par with enea if MAYBE slightly under him depending on who we’re talking about are the rest of the spanish/catalan riders... he helmet traded with jorge martin last year, he was teammates with joan... i think mileage varies depending on how long hes known em but we can go ahead and group them under distantly friendly but bonded by place of origin. pedro not really a marc fan but also a child so he maybe drops a few places but not too far.

luca. true neutral. would be friendlier but the vale of it all prevents them from wearing joint turtlenecks to some event in like. cunty solidarity

diggia? needs further investigation

pecco. do i think hes UNfriendly no. do i think they could easily GET unfriendly absolutely. they dont super jive to each other's jokes, pecco was mean to alex like three weeks ago, they genuinely would rather crash than let the other pass, and there's the specter of vale's little legacy coloring every interaction. that being said i think they are both VERY invested in not having the media recognize it as an actual personal rivalry and could play a game of cards in an airport waiting lounge if pressed. pecco i think in particular has this gentlemen's duel perspective, but marc simply doesnt want to get asked about it every weekend until he dies... pecco ALSO likes to get a lil bitchy in presscons and i think marc doesnt like that lol. have some couth. anybody remember BYE BYE HONDA ? not endearing

franky. marc and alex have had an INSANE relationship this year with franky including like. rushing to his aid in a medical emergency and numerous racing incidents where franky was low key being a maniac with BOTH of them. lots of that. franky had been around the longest of the academy kids so he has enough context to keep his cards relatively close to his chest but i get the sense hes a little WISER than some of these other punks so hes kind of an x-factor. ranking him below pecco purely bc i dont think marc in particular takes kindly to alex slander lol sorry 2 my frankyalex queens you are correct but MARC. is stupid thx

jack miller. called marc a whiny princess or something about his arm surgery that marc ranks among the most traumatic events of his life. im guessing marc did not enjoy that.

bez. no quarter for this clown.

[fall0utmind]

Epilogue

Hi guys - it's here

we are done - thank you so much for all the support you have given me - it's invaluable

ao3 here!!

Feedback would be much appreciated - alt ending coming soon

Love you all - Aoif

*6 months later*

It’s cold in Italy; it's unseasonably frosty but dry, at least. Marc steadies himself on the driveway, taking some deep breaths from behind the wheel. He refused a lift from the airport, choosing instead a hire car to ensure a quick escape if it’s needed. Now he’s sitting in the car, trying not to have a panic attack.

He stares up at the imposing building in front of him. The ranch house sits proudly at the edge of the property– all brick and wood with big windows which probably spill the light in during summer. It has changed, from ten years ago. Marc doesn’t know why that shocks him. His hands are shaking.

He cannot fathom what he’s doing here, in Tavullia on a random Monday in January. In a few weeks, he’ll be at the Ducati factory, filming and testing as their newest rider. He thinks he might be insane.

Valentino must have heard him pulling in, the loose scattering of gravel crunching under the wheels. Marc can see movement inside; his heart is beating out of his chest.

Things between him and Vale have been better, since Aragon. It has taken a lot of awkward conversation and a couple of fuck ups to even get to this stage. Marc’s slowly been getting used to the boys, whilst keeping Vale far away from his family (who still haven’t come around). They have been tentatively dating, trying to figure out how to fit into each other’s lives without implosion.

Marc has refused anything more than a couple of low-key dates on race weekends and spending time in Vale’s hotel room. Meeting on non-neutral ground feels like a big step, and now Marc is here, back where it all went so wrong the first time, potentially feeding himself to the lions.

He screws his eyes shut and breathes deeply. Alex will be here at the weekend. They will get through it. He steels himself to unflex his fingers from where they grip the steering wheel. His knuckles are white.

The front door to the house creeps open, Valentino emerging from behind. After all of these years, he still makes Marc slightly breathless. It has been a long time since he’s seen Valentino like this, dressed in a loose hoodie and sweatpants, his socked feet without shoes. Marc climbs out of the car, heading around the back to grab his bag before locking the doors and shuffling forward.

Vale stands on the threshold, looking as unsure as Marc feels - his hands reach forward before pulling back. Marc decides for him, wrapping his arms around Valentino and allowing the older man to pull him in and press his lips to the crown of Marc’s head. Marc smiles into his chest. It is good to know that he is not the only one who is nervous.

When they pull apart, Marc tilts his head towards Valentino and finds soft eyes already watching him, startlingly blue in the morning light. Valentino’s lips twitch upwards as he tilts his head down to brush a kiss against Marc’s mouth.

Valentino takes Marc’s bag before he can protest, lugging it down the hall and setting it down in what Marc assumes is Valentino’s room. There is a bike sitting by the footboard, one of Vale’s. Marc’s breath hitches, the rumours were true then. The sheets look fresh, untouched. The sun filters through the large windows located adjacent to the bed. Valentino shows no signs of hesitance in welcoming Marc into his home. It makes Marc’s heart contract, beating double time at the show of familiarity and trust.

The unease slowly slips off Marc’s shoulders like satin as he relaxes into the space. It’s just the two of them for now. It’s nice, there is a settled kind of peace in the air – a contentedness rolling off both of them. Valentino tugs him around the house, giving him a tour. He never got to this point last time, only saw brief flashes of parts of the house back in 2014. He pushes the memory away and smiles as one of Valentino’s dogs trails curiously behind them, occasionally nudging a wet nose into the back of Marc’s knees.

He could settle here, Marc thinks. The thought catches him off guard and makes him do a double-take. He stares at the gentle slope of Valentino’s shoulders underneath his too-large t-shirt. The way he looks so soft and gentle here. Marc doesn’t realise that he’s stopped, even when he feels the soft brush of fur against his calves as the dog pushes past him. Valentino pauses, looking back over his shoulder. His face is relaxed, his eyes adoring, tinged with concern as he notices Marc has paused.

“Marc, Angelo, what’s wrong?” He says, striding back, cupping his face gently. His gaze tracks over Marc's frame, assessing for hurt or pain, his hand grazing over Marc’s arm.

Over the past 3 months, Valentino has relearned Marc’s body. It was difficult, to come to terms with the chronic pain Marc faces daily. Sometimes, Marc would shuffle into his hotel room, late after a race, his arm stiff by his side, looking dazed and in pain. Every time, Valentino would run a bath and painstakingly massage his arm and shoulder until the pain lessened, kissing away the tears which gathered in Marc’s lash line.

It has been difficult for Marc to allow himself to be looked after; he is learning though. Now, he just smiles, small and closed-lip. He kisses Vale, once, twice.

“Nothing, mi amour. I love you.” He whispers.

Valentino answers with a grin and a soft “I love you too”.

It is worth everything to Marc.

*

Cohabiting with someone you used to hate is odd.

They spend two days in a strange kind of domestic bliss. Their nights are spent wrapped around each other in Vale’s bed, satiated and sleepy. Valentino wakes up every morning to prepare Marc a coffee, just how he likes it, and delivers it with a sweet kiss. In the intervals between cooking or meetings, Valentino wraps his arms around Marc from behind and kisses his forehead softly.

Marc thinks he could get used to domestic bliss.

Valentino whines and complains when Marc asks to use the gym.

(“You’re supposed to be on a break”)

But he sits and watches Marc work out each time without fail, revelling in the way Marc flushes prettily when he catches Vale staring.

(Cardio usually ends up being done in the bedroom).

On Wednesday, Valentino pulls Marc towards the garage to show him the impressive bike selection he keeps. Valentino has spent years (and a lot of money) amassing his collection, including a few of his old MotoGP ones. Marc looks awed, his fingers trailing over handlebars and pausing on the bright ‘46’ of Vale’s 2005 Yamaha. Valentino watches with adoring eyes.

Marc is holding back a million questions, crouching to inspect each machine before moving on to the next. He appears at home among the bikes. Even so, Vale can tell Marc is antsy without one to ride. He desperately wants to appease Marc and show him around the track but also recognises the history here. Marc won't ask to ride, not after last time, and Valentino's pushing won’t go down well.

Valentino pretends to fiddle with a bike, tuning it up a bit, watching as Marc becomes more impatient. He hopes to time it perfectly, waiting until the last minute to ensure the younger man will agree.

“We can ride, if you’d like?” Vale asks quietly.

Marc’s answering grin is wide.

Valentino hurries to pull out the bike he’s been tuning for Marc, unable to contain his excitement. The deep red ‘93’ is already in place.

When he turns back, Marc is half undressed, always so eager. But he has stopped still at the sight of the bike. He inches forward, running his hands across the throttle, a questioning look in his eyes. Valentino laughs uncomfortably, suddenly embarrassed.

“Well, you know- you need it for the weekend. And I was hoping you might need it again a bit more regularly going forward.”

He scratches his neck awkwardly, regretting his decision to be so forward. What if Marc doesn’t want to come back, or it is too much too soon?

Marc nudges against him, drawing Valentino’s attention back to reality. The smaller man pushes onto his tiptoes and presses a kiss to Vale’s lips, effectively wiping out any other thoughts.

“Thank you”, Marc whispers. It’s so painfully honest that it hurts.

Valentino kisses him again.

He brings his hands to Marc’s waist and is momentarily distracted by the bare, warm skin he finds. Of course, Marc is still half undressed. He pulls back to look at Marc shamelessly.

There are miles of tanned skin on display, unblemished other than his arm. Marc’s been somewhere hot over the break, Valentino saw the photos on Instagram. Marc with his friends, shirtless, his built chest and abs on full display as he laughed to the camera, golden sand and the crystal ocean behind him. Valentino is not ashamed to admit that he practically salivated when he saw them. It is no different now, with Marc standing in his garage. He doesn’t think Marc’s beauty will ever get old.  

Marc looks amazing like this, slightly dishevelled, glowing with happiness. Valentino wants to keep him here forever.

He kisses Marc firmly one more time and pushes him in the direction of where their leathers are hanging up side by side.

“Come on, let’s ride” He suggests, knowing that if they don’t go now, Vale will become sidetracked. Marc is all too happy to oblige.

It’s a good day to ride - clear and a little cold, but bright. Marc takes a few laps to settle into the track, evidence that it has been a long time since he was last at the ranch. Guilt churns in Vale’s stomach, maybe if he was kinder, less bitter, that would not be the case. The thought is cast aside soon enough as they’re chasing each other around the track, just like old times. The sound of laughter is loud and bright; it can be heard above the familiar two-stroke engines as they roar around the circuit.

The unbridled joy of riding is only slightly dampened by the undercurrent of fear radiating off Marc. Valentino observes the way his shoulders are slightly hunched, how he holds himself back, just a little, pulling the angle of his bike a smidge more upright than usual. Marc is scared he will fuck it up, push too hard, and send them both toppling into anger and misery once more. Valentino wants to put a stop to it.

He can practically see the memories flashing behind Marc’s eyes and he hits each apex. Vale tries to be a comforting presence, to show Marc that he’s safe. But Marc only fully relaxes when Valentino pulls him into a tight embrace after they finish their first quick laps. After that, they’re off, racing wheel to wheel like they were born to do.

Valentino quickly discovers that he no longer cares when Marc edges him across the line, content to kiss him thoroughly when they pull to stop, wiping any residue of worry off the younger man’s face.

Later, Valentino takes Marc back inside, pushing him towards the shower and grinning when Marc tugs him along too.

He has never been one to deny Marc what he wants.

He nudges the younger man into the bathroom, grabbing two of his fluffiest towels from the warmth of the airing cupboard en route.

By the time Valentino has locked the door Marc is already half out of his clothes, a pretty flush spreading from his cheeks down his chest. Valentino trails his eyes up and down Marc’s body, saliva pooling under his tongue.  

He gently pushes Marc up against the marble-countered sink, the smallest hint of pressure on his hips. Valentino bends down to reach Marc’s lips, making the younger man push up into his touch.

The kiss isn’t gentle, it’s deep and wanting, yearning for more. Valentino pushes his hands under Marc’s legs as he hops to sit fully on the counter, his fingertips searing the soft skin there. In return, Marc wraps strong thighs around Valentino’s waist, grinding up to seek friction. By the time they pull apart, they are both achingly hard.

Valentino regretfully breaks away, leaving Marc panting on his countertop so he can reach into the lavish shower and turn on the taps.

He knew that the ungodly amount of money he spent on this bathroom would be beneficial one day.

Once steam has filled the room, he pulls Marc to his feet, letting the younger man strip off his underwear before pushing him into the warm spray.

Valentino watches for a moment, wondering how he got so lucky, before he too steps out of his clothes. He brackets himself in behind Marc, wrapping his arms around the younger man’s waist as water pours over them. Marc leans into his hold.

Valentino chases a water droplet which rolls down Marc’s neck, sucking a mark lightly onto the juncture of his shoulder as his hands trace patterns onto his hip. Marc’s head falls back, his eyes fluttering as he groans quietly.

Valentino keeps going, following the trail of the water, spinning Marc around and pushing him against the wall. He sinks to his knees, fascinated by the way Marc’s eyes screw shut, his face scrunching. Valentino spends a long time laving his tongue across Marc’s abs, admiring Marc’s reactions as he licks across the younger’s hip bones and bites. Valentino could stay here for years.

(He couldn’t, his knees already hurt)

Marc’s quads tense as Vale sinks his teeth into the delicate flesh, strong muscle bracketing Vale’s head. Marc leans his weight against the wall, slightly boneless as Valentino continues to nibble on the soft skin, sucking until there’s a line of pretty purple bruises from mid-thigh to his groin.

It’s one of Vale’s favourite things to do, leaving blemishes on Marc’s tanned skin, like blots of ink on paper. Staining Marc and making him Vale’s own, after so many years. The added bonus is that Marc is always so pliant when Valentino does it. He goes limp and far away, his eyes dazed when they’re not rolling back in his head. He is reduced to a mess of whining and pleading.

Valentino is not immune.

Marc is above him, his legs shaking and whining as Valentino mouths everywhere but his dick, which is hard against his abs. Precum smears across his stomach, washed away by the spray of warm water sluicing over them.

Valentino takes pity on him, slipping one hand around his thigh and putting his mouth where Marc so desperately wants it. He licks a strip up Marc’s dick, revelling in the way his moans shift up a pitch. Marc releases little hitching breaths as he finally, finally, takes Marc all the way, sucking without hesitation.

Marc’s hands are scrabbling for purchase on the tiles. His moans get louder as he loses himself to the feeling. His brain is mush as he slips into another headspace, floating, the only thoughts are more and Vale. He can’t produce any words apart from Valentino’s name which he whines out. Marc brings a hand to his mouth, trying to stop the needy whines from slipping out.

Valentino taps his hip, “No, no. I want to hear you, Bambino”.

Marc groans, long and low, his hips bucking into the warmth of Vale’s mouth. The older man pins his hips against the wall. Marc’s knees damn near give out as Valentino begins to suck in earnest, laving his tongue over Marc’s head and drinking him down to the hilt.

The only sensations Marc registers are the wet heat around him and the finger biting into his hips. The rest of the world is static.

He’s getting close far too quickly, only spurred on when he looks down and sees the older man looking back up his blue eyes steely, almost engulfed by his blown pupils. Marc tries to gulp down the whimper in the back of his throat, his hips bucking of their own accord. Valentino hums around his dicks before pulling off with a wet pop. He smirks up at Marc.

Valentino loves Marc like this, whining, fucked out, and desperate.

He pulls himself to his feet, ignoring the way his knees pop and protest, instead pushing himself against Marc and kissing him soundly. Marc can taste himself, bitter on Vale’s tongue. He groans pitifully.

Valentino breaks the kiss, only to trail his lips across Marc’s jaw, sucking more bruises into Marc’s neck until there is almost no space left unblemished.

(Marc will pretend to be annoyed later, complaining as he secretly examines the bruises in the mirror, a pleased smile on his face.)

Marc pushes on Vale’s head.

“In me? Please?” he whines.

Valentino chuckles, “Later, Carino. We have no lube”

“I don’t care, fuck me, please Vale” Valentino groans, the temptation rising as Marc pleads.

“No, Tesoro. I don’t want to hurt you. We do it like this for now, okay? Come on Gattino, show me how pretty you are.”

Valentino is quickly learning the best way to get reactions from Marc, to cause the younger man to become dazed and pliant like he is now. He punctuates his request by rolling his hips into Marc, gripping his ass and encouraging him to grind against Vale.

Marc does so readily, rutting them together until he is almost sobbing, squirming under Valentino’s hands. They’re both getting close. Marc makes a glorious sight in his arms, his eye wide and doe-like, his muscles clenching and unclenching as he chases release.

Vale wraps his hand around both of them, gasping at the added friction. He connects their lips again, more panting into each other’s mouths than actually kissing.

“Come on, Bambino, come for me” Valentino whispers, bucking up to chase the pleasure.

In the end, that’s what does it for Marc. He shakes and whines as he comes, his head thrown back in ecstasy, his eyes screwed up. Valentino follows soon after, pushed over the edge by the vision of Marc falling apart.

When he comes back to himself, Valentino gently washes them both, soothing hands against Marc’s body as the younger man drifts. Marc is always quiet afterwards, his head blissfully empty.

Valentino steers Marc out of the shower and deposits him onto the ledge, fetching one of the towels and wrapping it around him, watching the way the younger man curls into warmth. Vale tenderly helps Marc dry, kissing the exposed sections of skin. Once Marc is changed, Valentino focuses on himself, perfunctory, already thinking about what to cook for dinner, considering what Marc likes.

The younger man looks warm and content, wrapped in one of Valentino’s hoodies, too long in the sleeves, clinging more to Marc’s chest and shoulders, where it’s loose on Vale. It settles somewhere inside of Valentino, a place he’s beginning to associate with home.

*

They were right, back in Aragon, it hasn’t been easy, not by any stretch of the imagination. It took Marc two months to feel secure that Vale wouldn’t just up and leave. Even now there are moments when they both tense, waiting for the other to land a blow. Moments where it threatens to blow up in their face, a bated breath when a sharp-edged comment slips out.

Every time though, one of them stops back, unloads the gun, and lowers their fists. They use words now, communicating in soft-spoken apologies and reassuring touches.

“you’re the one who left last time”

“And I said I’m sorry amore”

“Sorry doesn't fix everything, Vale.”

A soft sigh and a light touch on the back followed.

“I know, I know. A sorry does not even begin to cover half of the things I have done. Yet I am still sorry.”

Marc looks away.

“Marc, please”

A sigh, “It is okay. I am just hurting, not angry, just a fresh wound Vale”

Valentino holds him close until it gets better and doesn’t let go, even after.

The childish avoidance from before is gone; hindsight has shown them that was not a good strategy. They still have their squabbles, occasionally digging too far, but it is better now, less vicious.

Still, Marc has to text his mum twice on the first day, just to confirm that they haven’t killed each other yet. His parents were reluctant for him to come to Italy; they are still wary, unwilling to trust Valentino as easily as Marc does, or is learning to. They cannot resist the occasional jab at the older man, comments designed to stir up guilt; Marc is dreading the day that they all have to be in the same room. Alex is just about coming around, albeit reluctantly. For now, he is content to watch on suspiciously, waiting for even a slight slip-up from Vale. Ultimately though, they just want Marc to be happy, and if that is with Vale, so be it.

As Valentino promised, they have taken every second slowly, catching up on everything they’ve missed. Valentino refused to sleep with him until Marc won in Phillip Island. Even then Marc had begged and begged until Valentino laid him carefully onto the bed in his hotel room and took him apart slowly, carefully. Until Marc was drooling into a pillow, crying.

Afterwards, Valentino wrapped him up in his arms and held him until he came back into his body. He had picked Marc up, and washed him in the shower, taking care to press kisses against any part he could reach. He wrapped Marc in a soft fluffy towel and slept next to him until dawn broke on the following day.

It's odd for them, to take it slow when they are so used to 300kph. But it’s good. Different, but good. Soft and unhurried as they have all the time in the world. They both knew if this was going to work, it had to be different. They couldn’t make the same mistakes as before.

They owed it to themselves to at least try.

So now they spend their days in a sort of bubble; a world which other people aren’t privy to – not yet. In this world, Valentino fucks Marc gently on his bed and kisses him breathlessly in the kitchen. He whispers, ‘I love you,’ against Marc’s lips mid-kiss, his neck when they hug, and his hair as the younger man sleeps in his arms. Valentino has a different version of Marc from the rest of humanity - one who is soft, pliant and sweet. He loves both versions of Marc and all of him, so long as they’re his.

*

On Thursday, people begin to arrive for the race.

Marc doesn’t know why he agreed to this plan; he has basically treated himself to an undercurrent of sick nerves in his stomach for the whole day, possibly the weekend. His heart beats faster and louder every time he hears a new car pulling into the drive.

Valentino keeps Marc tucked into his side for as long as he can before he is swept up in the duties of being Valentino Rossi. Marc is embarrassed that by 9 am he is still hiding in the house. By the time Luca finds Marc, he’s a mess.

Intuitively, he knows that he’s safe, but a part of him can’t quite let go of the anxiety.  His therapist warned him that this may happen, his brain playing tricks on him, convincing him that something bad will happen. She said that it stems from what happened last time, their eventual ruin. Marc hates it.

When they eventually have to leave the safety of the house, Marc keeps his chin up, shutting down any hint of nerves or anxiety. Outwardly, he is the picture of calm indifference, inside he’s a mess. His only reassurance is Luca’s presence and the knowledge that Alex will be here soon.

Marc nods at everyone he passes, ignoring the double takes, and pretends that he knows what he’s doing as he casually loiters at the front of the house for Alex. By the time his brother pulls up, Marc is vibrating out of his skin, only relaxing once Alex has gathered him into his arms.

The plan is to act as though Marc and Alex arrived together, so they enter the foyer together, greeted by an enthusiastic Valentino.

 “Marc, Alex. Allora, it is good to see you”

Marc now understands the ungodly number of espressos the older man had this morning. Alex shoots Valentino a sceptical look, bordering on unimpressed. Marc has to disguise his laughter with a cough.

As usual, it is all being filmed; the crew are eager to shove a camera in Marc’s face, their eagle eyes focused on Valentino’s hands trailing Marc’s waist when they stand together. Valentino dutifully points out which bits of merch to sign and where. He is acting more detached than Marc has seen him in a while. It burns, sour and acidic in the back of his throat.

Marc wishes they had talked about this, where they stand and who knows. It didn’t seem important to discuss before now, with too many other things to keep on track of. Marc assumes (hopes) that they can edit anything out as needed.

When the brothers have finished dutifully signing, Valentino signals for the filming to stop, shooing people away. Marc is tugged into a side room. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that Valentino is a bit like a teenager in the way he can’t keep his hands off Marc. He draws the younger man into a kiss, pushing him against the closed door.

Marc groans when he pulls away, changing Valentino’s lips for a second before giving up, his head thunking against the door.

“Oh, come on, my brothers out there” He whines, only pretending to be annoyed at Valentino's constant eagerness. The older man laughs in delight and presses one last kiss to Marc’s lips.

“Sorry Amore, I can’t resist. You just look so beautiful and I do not want you to be nervous, you seem nervous”

“Of course I’m nervous, everyone is staring at me” Marc says flatly

“Ah well, it is probably because your ass looks good”

Before Vale can finish the sentiment, there is a loud knock on the door.

“I can hear you, you know. Please stop”

Valentino smirks, pressing one last kiss to Marc’s cheek before he opens the door and lets them out.

Alex looks mightily unimpressed.

“Now now, baby Marquez, my house, my rules.” Valentino jokes, no heat behind his tone and his eyes dancing with humour. Alex groans.

“Franco is with the boys in the garages, I hear he’s looking forward to seeing you”

The effect is immediate, Alex flushing brightly at Vale’s teasing. It makes Marc cackle. With one last tap low on Marc’s waist, Valentino is gone, back to play the entertainer to his loyal subjects. Marc watches the older man go, before turning toward Alex and dragging him toward the garage.

*

It is strange, Marc thinks, that only days ago, Marc and Vale were here alone, kissing in peaceful moments between riding, training, cooking, and living. Reacquainting with one another and deciphering how to fit into each other’s lives.

There is no peace now.

Whilst Valentino plays the gratuitous host and welcomes every guest, Marc and Alex are left abandoned amongst a sea of people hungry to know why. Marc holds his head high, portraying a sense of disinterest even as he feels a hundred curious eyes on him.

It’s not exactly a secret that Vale and Marc are back on friendly terms, with Valentino being complementary in interviews and talking to Marc in the paddock. But to see Marc at the ranch will be a shock for many. Many more will be upset.

Marc tries to remember whose stupid idea this was. Entering the biggest event Valentino has ever put on right at the start of their relationship. 10 years of the 100k di campioni. Marc Marquez is in attendance.

The headlines practically write themselves.

To make matters worse, they’ve reshuffled the teams. Marc doesn’t know whose idea it was, whether it was Valentino, one of the boys, or someone else entirely. But Valentino was adamant that they had to race together.

Marc wondered whether it was to prevent any issues when one of them beat the other. Even though they were both fine with that, others might talk.

Either way, the team announcement was delayed until it became public knowledge that Marc was in attendance. It is bound to cause a commotion.

Marc guesses that going from enemies to friendly enough to be teammates (by choice) is quite the leap. The sudden reshuffle means that Pecco pairs with Luca, Franky with Alex, and Cele and Marco are together.

Marco muttered something about it being unfair that one of the teams has 17 world championships – Valentino laughed at the time but Marc thinks Bez was being dead serious. He doubts many other people have considered that yet. It’s only a matter of time before they see the two of them on the track and realise it might be slightly unfair. Oh well.

Marc keeps his head down as he drags Alex toward the garage. He tries to swerve around the people he doesn’t want to see, keeping out of the way of cameras. It’s funny really. He knows that he’ll be in the clips anyway, but if he tries to make himself smaller or irrelevant, maybe people will talk less.

(It’s wishful thinking)

Marc lets out a sigh of relief when they make it to where Pecco is chatting with Bez on the threshold of the building.

Releasing Alex’s arm, he greets the boys fondly, ruffling Bez’s hair and clasping hands with Pecco. He has a moment of panic when he belatedly realises that Alex has never really interacted with the boys. He questions whether they will play nice after everything which has happened; especially due to Alex’s protectiveness.

The worry doesn’t last long; they greet Alex kindly, albeit with a little awkwardness. The tension dissolves when Franky approaches, falling instead into boyish teasing as he wraps an arm over Alex’s shoulder. It feels natural, almost easy. Marc exhales, the tight coil in his stomach loosening slightly.  Alex deserves happiness more than anyone he knows; Marc would do anything to keep him content.

The good-natured ribbing continues, but Franky takes it in his stride, simply pressing a kiss to Alex’s cheek and grinning smugly when he flushes. He must be used to it, growing up in this environment with these boys who are almost like family.

Pecco nudges him, subtly so the others don’t notice, content to let them continue to throw childish barbs at one another whilst he accosts Marc.

“Where’s your boyfriend?”, he teases. Marc rolls his eyes, shoving Pecco back lightly.

“Holding down the fort I believe”

Pecco huffs, an amused tilt to his lips.

The boys have taken well to him and Valentino tentatively dating, happily including Marc on race weekends. According to Vale, they have been asking for Marc to train with them at the ranch for months.

Marc feels such a swell of love for his new friends and their acceptance. It is like he has somehow adopted the children Vale has gathered over the years, in an odd way. He knows some of the younger ones admired him when they were growing up, before he and Vale imploded. It has almost come full circle, everything falling so easily into place. If Marc thinks about it, he feels this is a long time coming.

He fits in here - another teacher for the younger ones, someone who understands the pressure of being a champion and being on a bike that doesn’t love you as much as you love it. Someone who knows what it’s like to win, to lose, and to overcome the impossible.

There is a sense of belonging that Marc hasn’t felt in some time.

While the boys mess around, joking and laughing, Marc peaks his head out to look around. Hidden in the alcove of the garage, he scouts the people who are already here. He recognises some familiar faces - riders from the grid, some of the lower leagues, and one or two from different events and classes. It’s quite the lineup.

Marc shelters for as long as he can, unwilling to go out and face the music. He really wishes that he and Valentino had thought of some answers to the inevitable questions before they dived headfirst into this.

Eventually, though, his plan is foiled by Mig, who shuffles them outside, ever the leader in the academy.

“Stop being hermits and go mingle”

 Marc pouts at Mig until the younger man pats his cheek, mocking but not cruel.

“Do not be a baby, you are too old for that.”

It just makes Marc scowl, before he changes tact, going wide-eyed and innocent in the hopes of persuading the younger man to let him stay. He sees the moment Mig clocks onto what he’s doing.

“God, I see why Valentino thinks you're adorable. You have a face like a disgruntled cat, although your puppy eyes are pretty adorable”, he smirks.

Marc gapes at him whilst the others burst into rambunctious laughter.

“Ay, Mig, you were not meant to tell him that” Marco giggles

Luca smiles, “Stop flirting with Vale’s boyfriend, he will get mad, you know what he is like”

The comment confuses Marc, and he frowns. He doesn’t know what Valentino is like. It startles him, the realisation that he has no idea how Vale talks about him.

Pecco throws an arm over his shoulder, grinning as he puts on a high-pitched voice, imitating Vale.

“Allora, stop staring at him”

Cele chips in, also mimicking Vale “Marc’s so perfect. It’s so unfair”

Mig chokes out his impersonation between fits of giggles “I am definitely not jealous but I will kill you if you so much as look at Marc, even though I can’t bring myself to make it more official than the occasional coffee.”

Alex is giggling along, unaware of Franky’s awed face watching him.

Marc doesn’t know how to feel.

Bez nudges him, “We are only taking the piss, it is funny.”

“We have had to put up with the old man pining for too long,” Pecco adds

“Ah well, that is what happens when we get old. A good impression of him though.”

It comes from someone new, not one of the boys. Marc jerks, he knows that voice.

Behind Franky stands Dovi, a wide smile on his face as he observes the group, clearly privy to their previous conversation.

The boys fall silent, their gazes snapping between Marc’s shocked face to Dovi's one of amusement. Luca leaves first, excusing himself and patting Dovi’s shoulder as he goes. The others follow suit, slowly slinking away to give them some privacy.

Marc stares at Dovi in silence, stunned and unsure what to say.

It has been playing on his mind recently, the fear that he might have hurt Dovi. Even though they agreed to remain friends, he feels guilty. Dovi doesn’t deserve that pain, it isn’t fair.

“Hey, none of that. Don’t feel guilty, you two deserve happiness.” Dovi declares, tapping Marc twice on the chin.

Marc grimaces. Dovi laughs; he doesn’t look sad, or annoyed- quite the opposite, Dovi looks like he’s glowing with happiness. In fact, now that Marc thinks about it, squinting at Dovi, he does look unusually happy, less tired, brighter.  

“You’re tanned,” Marc says, changing the topic, suspicious of Dovi’s

Dovi shrugs, “Australia does that to you”

“Australia?” Marc parrots back, unable to hide his confusion.

It’s then that he hears a distinctive accented voice. He lifts his head, searching and sees Casey talking to Pecco a few feet away. His jaw drops.

Casey and Dovi are here and Vale hasn’t said a thing. He cannot begin to fathom why Valentino would invite Dovi after everything between them.  

Marc flicks his gaze back and forth between Casey and Dovi, noting how the latter's cheeks begin to redden. He grins slyly.

“Oh, ohhhhhh. Is this a new thing?” Marc asks. Suddenly a few more things make sense.

Dovi chuckles a little,

“Um, yes. Fairly. After everything that happened, y’know with you and Valentino. I had a lot of thinking to do. As it turns out, Australia is good for that. And maybe I have a type.”

“Oh, and what type is that then?” Marc pushes cheekily; he can’t help the wicked grin that slips onto his face.

“Crazy bastards who look good on motorbikes.” comes the response, not from Dovi but from Valentino who wraps his arms around Marc and rests his chin on his head.

“Hey, don’t talk about my boyfriend like that” Dovi teases.

Casey wanders over and cuffs Valentino on the shoulder in reprimand before he slings his arm over Dovi’s shoulders.

Huh, Marc thinks. He leans back in Valentino, unable to help the way he relaxes.

Looking at Dovi and Casey now, he can see they’re happy, both adoring. It’s sweet. Marc realises that he is genuinely over the moon for them both. Dovi deserves someone simpler, less messy than him. And Casey is the perfect mix of grounded and still a little unhinged.

 Even Valentino seems happy, no longer glaring at Andrea with barely concealed jealousy.

As Casey and Vale begin to bicker, he meets Dovi’s eyes, smiling wide.

Maybe things have a way of working out in the end.

*

Of course, social media blows up when the official VR46 account posts videos of Marc at the ranch. Valentino’s subsequent repost goes viral. Marc is giggling at the insanity as he lays in bed on Friday night, his head pillowed on Valentino’s chest. The boys have clearly taken it as a challenge to see who can break the internet the quickest, posting pictures they have snuck of Marc and Vale from the past three months. None of them are incriminating but if you look hard enough, you can see the softness in Vale’s eyes in every photo.

(Luca unofficially wins with a photo of Valentino and Marc asleep in someone’s motorhome. Not cuddled, but close enough that their hands are touching.)

Marc is still smiling as he falls asleep to the sound of Valentino's heartbeat, their legs entwined.

The weekend continues without a hitch, much to Marc’s relief. He spends most of the time mingling with the boys, sometimes being pulled into conversations with non-MotoGP riders who ask him about Ducati next year. Marc is thankful that no one asks about him and Vale, he doesn’t think they need any more drama.

Luca wins the Americana race for another year running, dominating the field. Marc giggles when Pecco hugs him for just a fraction of a second too long, eliciting whistles from Bez and Mig. The atmosphere is pleasant - laid back rather than overly competitive.

By the time the main race rolls around, Marc is enjoying himself so much that he forgets to be nervous. He has naturally fallen into the rhythm of riding here, watching as Valentino skids through the dirt, approaching the line to hand over to Marc. It’s electric, the roar of the bikes, the screaming crowd, Valentino swerving toward him, a glimpse of wild blue behind the visor.

When Marc takes over, they are already leading. Marc bears down, grinning manically as he hears Pecco hot on his tail. He throws himself into every corner, grasping for the win, catching the bike as it threatens to slip out from underneath him. He skids too hard around one corner, wrangling the bike under control just in time, letting Pecco close in next to him. Good, Marc thinks, a real race.

They fly together through the laps, Marc edging into the lead once more, swinging his leg out for balance, his gaze laser-focused on the racing line. This is his element. He pulls away from Pecco, the speed of his cornering just too much for the younger man to keep pace.

Valentino is there, cheering as Marc thunders over the line, pulling him into a hug as he slows to a stop. The crow roars. Marc beams, flipping his visor up. He desperately wants to kiss Vale, holding himself back from jumping right here and now. He settles for a knowing look shared between them as the others begin to crowd around and celebrate.

Before Marc knows it, they are being shepherded over to where a makeshift podium has been set up. They are awarded their stupid necklaces and champagne as the others watch on.

Marc stands on the top step, gazing up at Valentino next to him.

He sees a God, the man who broke his heart and is now piecing it back together again.

He sees his past, his present, and his future.

Valentino meets his gaze, “Okay, Bambino?”

Marc grins

“Yes. With you, yes – always”

Valentino glances around quickly, and shrugs helplessly, pulling Marc in. Marc laughs, gasping slightly as Vale wraps one arm around his waist and the other around the back of his neck. Marc’s hands come to rest on Valentino’s hips.

“Vale, the cameras” Marc giggles.

Valentino grins, “They can delete it, or not I don’t care. I have the greatest treasure in the world, I don’t mind people knowing that.”

Valentino presses their lips together right there, in front of everyone. Marc beams into it, delighted, there are still purple-red hickeys sitting on his neck and Valentino’s arm around his waist. It feels like home.

Marc deepens the kiss, holding Vale by the roots of his curls. Someone hoots next to them and there is plenty of wolf-whistling from the crowd; Marc can hear Alex laughing.

Fireworks go off behind them. Marc breaks away from Vale, still smiling so hard that his cheeks hurt.

“I love you”

“I love you too, mi amore”

*End*

[ofstarsandvibranium]

To Have & To Hold: Part 10

Fandom: Marvel - Moon Knight (Mafia AU)

Pairing: Marc Spector x F!Reader, Steven Grant x F!Reader, Jake Lockley x F!Reader

Summary: To ensure you’re always safe even after his passing, your father, a mob boss, makes you marry his right hand, Marc Spector. You don’t necessarily hate Marc, but you don’t get along either. Therefore, this marriage of convenience may be a bit difficult for you.

Series Masterlist

The past week and a half was a blur to you. Your father sacrificed himself to make sure Harrow couldn't touch you or his empire again. Marc was with you every single day since the death of your father. He tried helping you as much as he could, being there for you, holding you when you cried. Still, he felt absolutely helpless.

The funeral was hard. All of your father's allies came to pay their respects as he was laid to rest. At the estate, Yelena was quick to hand you a drink.

"The family heads are waiting for you in your father's office," she said as she took a sip from her own drink.

You pinch the bridge of your nose, "They can't at least give me a day of rest?" Yelena shrugs as she pats your shoulder, "Good luck. Both of you," she nods to Marc and you.

Marc's arm wraps around you and rest on your hip, "We can do this." He kisses your temple and guides you to your father's office.

When you walk in, the low chatter that was going on immediately stops. All eyes are on you. You stare at your father's empty chair and feel like you're doing something wrong, being there without him.

You clear your throat and look around you. You clasp your hands in front of you to prevent fidgeting, "First off, thank you all for being here. I'm," you pause as your words get stuck in your throat, "I'm sure my dad really appreciates it." You run your hands down your black dress, "Um, so I'm assuming this meeting is to discuss the new head of the L/N Family?"

Alexei speaks up, "We're all aware that your father planned to have Spector take over and we all know about your arrangement. However, as respect for you, we just want to make sure this is still what you want."

You haven't thought much about your arrangement with Marc since your father's death. You've been too busy mourning as well as making funeral arrangements to really think about your engagement at all. However, throughout this time, you felt more at peace when he was around. He held you as you cried yourself to sleep. Even when you lashed out at him at the beginning because he didn't talk your father out of his sacrifice, he continued to be there for you. Things drastically changed and now...well, now you can't imagine Marc not being there with you in the future.

You turn to Marc, stepping out of his hold and slipping your hand into his, "Yes," then then turn to the family heads, "I do still intend on marrying Marc and having him take my father's place."

Marc squeezes your hand, "You sure?"

You nod, "I'm sure. There's no one else I trust with my father's organization."

Bucky, from the Barnes Family, speaks up, "I suggest you lovebirds get married soon. Harrow might not have been the only one ballsy enough to pull this shit. The sooner you're married the more serious people will take Spector as the head."

Your shoulder slump. Whether you were marrying Marc or not, you always saw yourself being walked down the aisle with your dad. But he's not here anymore.

Your wedding is straying further and further away than what you dreamt of.

Marc nods at Bucky, "We'll handle it," he glances at you and then back at the group before him, "Well, I think anything else that needs to be discussed can wait until tomorrow. Please enjoy the refreshments and thank you again for coming."

You and he step to the side as the family heads files out of the room. The last to leave was Alexei. He wraps his arms around you and hugs you tight. You let out a little sob and he soothes you.

"There, there, my little sunshine. You'll be okay. You're strong, yes?"

You pull away, wiping the stray tears from your cheeks, "I have to ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Will you walk me down the aisle of my wedding?"

Alexei looks at you in surprise, "Me?"

"You're like a second father to me, Lexei. Since my father is no longer here-"

"Of course, I'll do it. It would be an honor." He kisses your forehead and a soft smile.

He then turns to Marc and gives him a stern look, "If I hear a word about you mistreating her-"

"You don't have to worry about that, Alexei."

Alexei nods, "Good." Satisfied, he leave the room and you let out a deep breath.

You face Marc and immediately rest your head against him, "There's so much that needs to be done. How far up should be move the wedding? Did we pick a venue? I can't remember. Then we need to pick catering-"

"Hey, hey. No," Marc steps back, holding your by the shoulders, "Don't worry about that right now," he moves his hands to cup your face, "Go up to your room and rest."

"All I've been doing lately has been resting while you handle everything."

He shrugs, "Isn't this what I signed up for?" You open your mouth to object but he shakes his head, "Don't. Your father made sure I was well prepared for anything and everything that may come up being in this position. I'll handle it all. I just-" he pauses to let out a deep breath, "I just want to make sure you're okay."

You give him a soft smile, "Thank you. I-I know I've been so hot and cold with you since this whole arrangement began but...I really can't see anyone else in this position, at my side, than you."

"That's good to know," he murmurs and he kisses your forehead and then rests his against yours, "Go upstairs and rest," he whispers before pulling away and leaving you in your father's office.

Maybe you should just tell everyone to leave? Steven suggests in Marc's head.

"I can't. I need to show face, mingle with the families and friends."

Y/N needs us, though.

"I just want to give her some space, Steven. Let her have some time alone. She hasn't had much of that lately."

If you're sure.

"I am."

_________________________

When you woke up, it was dark out. You check the time on your phone it reads that it's past midnight. Do you have several notifications and unread messages from people? Yes, but right now you just want to see where Marc is.

You roll out of bed and pull on one of your old hoodies. You call out for Marc in case he might be near by. You were greeted with silence.

You descend the stairs seeing the kitchen light on. It's too late for your family's personal chef to be here so you're sure it's Marc.

When you enter the kitchen, you see Marc. He's sitting at the counter munching on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a mug of hot tea beside him.

"Marc?"

He looks up, eyes wide as if he'd been caught in a crime. He quickly swallows his food and sets the sandwich onto his plate, "Oh, um, hello," you hear the British accent and immediately know it's Steven.

"Oh. Hi, Steven."

"You alright?" he looks at you with concern.

You sigh, "I will be. I just need time."

He nods in understanding and gestures to the sandwich, "You want one? Or there's leftovers from the caterers. Marc snagged a little bit of everything since he wasn't sure what you'd want to eat later."

"That's thoughtful of him," you say, going to the fridge and seeing several tupperwares packed with food. You pull each one out, setting them on the island counter, "You want me to heat you up some?"

"Oh no, I'm fine with my sandwich. I'm vegan so I couldn't eat a lot of that stuff."

"Ah. Marc never told me that. I'll make sure to get you vegan options. Do you have any preferences of brands or milk alternatives?"

"You don't need to-"

"I want to, Steven. We'll technically be living together too. I want to make sure you have everything you need."

He softly smiles at you, "You're-That's really sweet of you, love."

You nod, also giving him a soft smile, "Of course." You continue to pile a bit of everything onto your plate and heating it up in the microwave.

You two eat in silence, but it wasn't awkward. You're scrolling through your phone while Steven reads a book on Egyptology. You figure that this would be a good time for you to get to know him more.

"Do you enjoy Egyptology?" you ask him. He looks up and you point to his book.

He breaks out into a smile, "I absolutely love it. The history, the literature, the religion. It's all so fascinating. The Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid. It weighs just as much as 16 Empire State buildings!" He says the fact with excitement and you break out into a grin. His excitement is contagious.

"Tell me more."

Steven snorts, "Oh no. If you do, I'll never shut up."

"I don't want you to shut up, Steven." You bring yourself closer to him and Steven's a little taken back by your actions.

"Oh, um, are you sure?" You can tell Steven's hesitant by the way he starts fidgeting with the thermal shirt he's wearing. The sleeves pulled all the way down to cover a majority of his hands.

"I mean, if you want to. I don't want to force you-"

"No, no, no! That's not it. It's just...I tend to ramble on too much and people get annoyed of me."

You place a reassuring hand on Steven's, "I promise that won't happen. Besides, I think it'd be good we get to know each other, right? Since, you know, I'm marrying Marc and you're a part of him."

"But it's late. You're not tired?"

You snort, "I slept for hours, Steven. I think I'll be fine. You?"

"Same."

"Then that settles it," you stand, "We can head to the library. There's a fireplace there and it's very cozy."

"Lead the way, love," Steven says with a big grin and follows you, exuding excitement.

[fossore]

For completion's sake, the interview with Macklin that followed the one with Rick Celebrini on the Papa & Silver show.

As before, trimmed to remove ads/extraneous content and transcribed below (but the hosts are slightly less obnoxious this time around). Original can be found here.

(TV broadcast call of Macklin Celebrini's first goal plays)

Greg Silver: Yeah, he's had fifteen more since then and we've been teasing this all week Papa, closing out a Friday with the one and only center, number one overall pick for the San Jose Sharks, Macklin Celebrini. Joining us on the Ooma guest line, Macklin, appreciate your time, Greg Silver, Greg Papa here on KNBR in San Francisco, how's it going.

Macklin Celebrini (MC): It's going well, it's going well, thanks for having me.

Silver: Oh, absolutely. So I went out there to the Shark Tank on Monday and I guess I just want to start right there with what's it like for you going up against Sidney Crosby, the all time leader in face-offs (transcriber's note: this is raw wins, winning % wise he's 99th all time on 1Feb25), and he was also the number one pick way back when. He's had a championship filled career. Did you take a moment to kind of process what was happening or is your competitive style more just like block it all out in the moment?

MC: No, a hundred percent, that was a really cool experience. Obviously got to do it earlier in the year in Pittsburgh. To be able to play against him again and get the game winning goal is a really cool experience.

Papa: And you got the game winning goal right after he got the game tying goal and even took a holding penalty against him (laughter) at one point.

MC: Yeah.

Papa: We just had your dad on and there's just so many things we want to get to. First of all, Sid the Kid obviously is one of the greatest players in the history of the game. You're rooming, living, with Jumbo Joe and his family. We had your dad on and wondering why you just don't live at home with the Celebrinis, with your family, it's a hockey thing that's unlike any other sport. So after we talk to you, you get back off a road trip, you go back home and have dinner with the Thornton family? How does that work?

MC: Yeah, I'm living in their guest house and they're kind enough to offer for me to live there this year and after practices and stuff go home and have dinner there and spend time with him and his family.

Papa: You eat every meal there? It's so different! What kind of advice — I mean this is one of the greatest players in the history of the Sharks franchise, of the the greatest players in the history of the NHL, a real playmaker — how much does he actually talk hockey with you?

MC: Yeah, it's little bits here and there. We toss hockey on once every couple nights. Whenever I'm home — usually I'm on the road or River, his boy, has got hockey and stuff, so it's a busy life. But whenever we're watching and stuff we'll talk about some hockey.

Silver: Yeah Macklin Celebrini kind enough to close out the week with us here on Papa & Silver. I asked your father about this not that long ago but I want to get your perspective. What's your experience been in terms of they dynamic between the vets and some of the young players on this team and how that's worked with the overall team chemistry as the Sharks look to build this up into something great here?

MC: Yeah, we have some amazing veteran guys that got brought in and that were already here. They've been amazing for us young guys, obviously we have quite a few younger players on this team, guys who are learning how to navigate this league. So having those guys there, it's really helpful to ask some questions and relay some stuff off them.

Papa: Marc-Edouard Vlasic on the D-line's played over 1300 NHL games, it's incredible. But you've got a good infusion of young guys; tell me about the relationship with your teammate Will Smith, Macklin, if you will. I know you had to walk in recently with the BC Eagles sweater on after you lost a bet to this guy (transcriber's note: on the youtube/twitch live stream Papa holds up his phone with an image of the walk-in to the camera and keeps it there until Macklin starts his answer). So going back to the Beanpot, I know that's a big deal, how was it playing with a guy you played against collegiately?

MC: I think we put it behind us once we became teammates and it's been great to get to know him and hang out with him, and start our careers together.

Silver: So, Macklin, given what your father does we've heard a lot, and discussed a lot on these airwaves, about Klay Thompson and his rehab from injury, and Brandin Podziemski just came back, and now Steph Curry's managing some injury. Do you have a prep routine as far as game days go or practices and is it borderline superstitious with how strict the training regimen can be sometimes?

MC: I think there's definitely some stuff that I want to do and stuff that I need to do to stay healthy and feel good on the ice, but I don't think it's superstitious or something that I really take too much stock in.

Papa: So the situation your in, I can't recall anyone ever being in this. With your father having such a prominent role with the Warriors during their dynasty and then you being the number one pick to a team in a different sport. Just how much, when you were growing up — the reaction when you got drafted number one, Draymond and Steph, and they were all just so excited for you, but how much when you were growing up, Macklin, did you interact with Steph and Klay and Draymond and even Kevin Durant and those guys?

MC: It's been quite a bit, just being around. I rehabbed at Chase Center a couple summers ago when I hurt my shoulder and stuff, so I've been around them a little bit. But more so when I was a little bit little and I didn't really remember it, but it's definitely a cool experience kind of hanging around those guys.

Silver: Yeah, we got Macklin Celebrini here on the line for the San Jose Sharks, and Shark Tank aside, do you have a best city to go visit in a season or opposing environments to play in on your list so far?

MC: (Laughs) Vancouver's cool, kind of going home, having a bunch of family there, that was really cool, but other than that they're all different experiences, they're all really unique in their own ways. It's fun going into new buildings and different environments.

Papa: And you were up in Seattle last night, got a goal in the third period (transcriber's note: Primary assist for Toffoli, not goal.), and your dad was on the trip, it was a dad's trip. What was it like having your father on the road trip with you, did he hang with the boys?

MC: Yeah, he hung out with some of the dads. It was great. We had a dinner up there and they came to the game the day before so. That was a great trip, that was my first father's trip and it was great to have them on the trip with us and have them experience what we go through with travel and that sort of stuff.

Silver: What would you say the best moment to your short NHL career has been to this point? I just mentioned going up against Sidney Crosby, he scores a tying goal you score a winning goal, we came in with the highlight of your first ever goal, what are the most vivid memories that you're carrying with you to this point or have you maybe not had so much time to reflect and you're just going going going?

MC: I think I'm just trying to focus on getting ready for the next game. I haven't really reflected too much yet. We have a little break here so I might but it's a pretty busy time with games every other night and just trying to get ready for them, recover, so I can't really say if I have a favorite moment yet.

Papa: Maybe yet to come. We just had your dad on, as we mentioned, and he said he calls you before every game you play. Has he always done that, going back when you were playing junior hockey and collegiate hockey? And what kind of thoughts does he give you before an NHL game, Macklin?

MC: Yeah, I think that's something I've done ever since I was a kid, it's kind of the same message. It's just the routine I have before my games and it's definitely really helpful to talk to him.

Silver: Alright my last one for you Macklin is do you have an all-time starting line?

MC: Like all-time NHL?

Silver: Correct.

Papa: You better put Jumbo at center is all I'm saying.

(Laughter)

MC: I"ll go Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux um... probably... (Transcribers note: it gets a little messy here, I think he left a little too much dead air so they jumped on it and stopped taking turns. If you're just reading this it's at about 8:40 on the recording)

Silver: (interjecting after the um above) Macklin Celebrini

MC: (said beneath the previous) Yeah, Sid.

Papa: The great 8? How 'bout Ovechkin, you played Ovechkin yet?

MC: No he was injure when we played them, so, that was unfortunate but I do look forward to playing against him. I think I'll put Sid in there, that's my forwards, then probably Bobby Orr, Steve Yzerman on the back end. Or, sorry, Nicklas Lidstrom.

Papa: Well I'm impressed. Bobby Orr's my guy, I'm impressed

MC: I'll go Nicklas Lidstrom, and then I'll go in net Patrick Roy.

Papa: Wow, you got five on the ice there? I counted like six or seven there. But I'm with you on all that, Bobby Orr was so good, end-to-end rush man. So your father said, and we said what should we tell Macklin, he said call him after we're done, but more importantly call your mommy, Macklin, right after.

MC: Yeah, yeah.

Papa: Make sure you call her, would you?

MC: Yeah, I will, don't worry.

Papa: (Laughs)

Silver: Hey Macklin, thanks so much for coming by with the Gregs for a short hit and best of luck as you continue on with the Sharks season. I know a lot of people here in the Bay Area are excited to come check it out.

MC: No, thanks for having me on the show, I appreciate it.

Silver: Absolutely (transcriber's note: He continues this senctence to say, along with Papa, that Macklin's a special talent but I'm pretty sure Macklin's not still on the line at that point so I cut it.)

[valentin1k]

expecting better | vale/marc | 1.6k | geriatric mpregnancy... sorry, vale

Vale knows, of course, that Franky has been thinking of proposing. It’s been three years since he and Alex Marquez got together— at least, it’s been three years since Franky told him. He’s picked up, over time, that there was something going on for years before then, unofficial and a little fraught. He tries not to think about it. But the point is, he has had time to adjust to the idea. It’s fine. Good, even. Franky is happy, healthy. They’re good at keeping their on-track and off-track lives separate. It’s good. It’s not a surprise when Franky hands him a box and asks what he thinks of the ring inside. It will be a nightmare to plan, but that’s not Vale’s problem. He thinks about Marc and wedding planning, Marc helping his brother pick out a suit, picking out flowers and venues and a cake, maybe. He stops thinking.

Vale pastes on his biggest smile and pulls Franky into a hug. “Congratulations!” he says, “You certainly took your time!”

Franky smiles, a little shy. “Well, you know. We wanted to be sure.”

“And you are sure now?” Vale asks, unable to help himself.

Franky doesn’t hesitate before nodding. It’s good. It’s a good sign.

“That’s good,” Vale says, “I’m happy for you. And, you know, don’t worry about me. I will be on my best behaviour.”

“I know,” Franky says, giving him an odd look, “Is everything okay with you?” 

Vale realises he’s being a little weird about this. Franky looks a little hesitant. Vale realises in a rush that Franky doesn’t know about— he doesn’t know. Which could mean two things: that Alex hasn’t told Franky, or that Marc hasn’t told Alex. He can’t decide which one is less believable.

“I thought things were… good? Or, I mean, better? Between you and Marc, lately.”

“They are!” Vale says, maybe too quickly. “We’re, uh. It’s fine. That’s why I said. No trouble from me.”

“…Okay,” Franky says, “Thanks. We appreciate it.”

Vale takes the out, turning to the kitchen quickly. “Great! Now, what do you want for lunch?”

/

He turns it over in his head at night. Stares up at the ceiling in bed until it’s clear sleep won’t come, then gets up and sits on the bike. Runs his hand over the cold metal. Thinks: Marc didn’t tell Alex. Or Alex didn’t tell Franky. He lines up the dates, counting. Alex knows the proposal is coming, just not when exactly. He and Franky talked about it, a little. That’s the kind of couple they are: big on communication, small on surprises. Vale doesn’t know if Marc knows about the proposal. Maybe Alex has told him, maybe not. Maybe he doesn’t want to rock the boat. Vale knows that he and Marc are a factor in the proposal; a few months ago Franky had said, not subtly, that he was glad that Vale and Marc were civil. Not that they were good, or talking, or friendly. Just that they weren’t fighting. Just that Vale shook Marc’s hand, now, said ciao if they were at the same events and happened to walk by each other. That was all Franky was grateful for, and, apparently, all the go-ahead that he and Alex needed. So, well. If Marc knows the proposal is coming, maybe he kept it to himself, the few months where they were… something. For Alex’s sake. There are a lot of things Marc would do for his brother’s happiness. A lot of things he has done. And then, well. He thought Marc would tell Alex about it, but it’s only been a few days. Vale doesn’t know how to feel about that. Maybe he wants Vale’s blessing first. Maybe he doesn’t want anyone to know, ashamed. Maybe he, like Vale, doesn’t quite believe it yet. Maybe—

Vale tries not to think of any other possibility. Tries not to think about why he hasn’t told anyone either. Except Marc. A secret between the two of them.

/

He calls Uccio the next morning, too early, promising himself that he will tell him. He will, this time, just spit it out. It’s getting real now. It’s been, god. He doesn’t want to do the math. Five weeks? Six? He has time, still, to make a decision, but— he said that when he found out too. Time is slipping away without him noticing. Which is why he needs to tell Uccio. Uccio will arrange things for him. Uccio can handle everything Vale can’t think about, and he’ll keep it quiet too. He won’t ask if Vale tells him not to. He will know. But he won’t push. 

“ Ciao, Vale ,” Uccio says over the phone, “ It’s early. Couldn’t sleep again? ”

“Ah, you know,” Vale says, “It comes and goes.”

“ I don’t know. You’ve had a lot of trouble with it lately. Want me to book an appointment? ”

Vale stares down at his espresso. “No,” he says, “It’s fine. How are you?”

The conversation winds out, around Uccio’s life, VR46, Vale’s obligations for the week. There are openings, gaps where Vale could say it. Could spit it out. He doesn’t. Something tight in his chest holds it back, petulantly. This is something of his. This isn’t meant for Uccio to hear, to handle for him, even though Uccio has heard and handled everything about Vale for half their lives. It doesn’t make any sense. It’s frustrating. Very little makes sense these days. Before he hangs up, Uccio tells him again to see someone if the sleep issues continue. Vale agrees vacantly, guilt eating at him; he does have a doctor’s appointment, two days from now. It’s just that Uccio doesn’t know. Strange, because Uccio usually knows more about his health than Vale himself. But he doesn’t want to see Uccio’s face if he says it. Admits it. Uccio will know, and Vale doesn’t want him to. He keeps coming back to it. All this knowing and not knowing. It’s not meant for Uccio, but it is, apparently, meant for Marc. 

/

Luca shows up the next day unannounced. Vale suspects immediately that it is part of some kind of intervention. He hasn’t been leaving the house much, but he didn’t think anyone had noticed, except Uccio, who wouldn’t go to Luca about it. They go out for lunch at a restaurant nearby that Luca likes. Vale drives them there and Luca drives them back. Luca pops the question in the car, a coordinated trap.

“So,” he says, casually, “How have you been?”

Vale shrugs. “You know. Fine. How are you?”

Luca cuts him a look sideways, disbelieving. “You have been acting strange. Is it about Franky?”

Vale blinks in surprise. “No? Why, is Franky okay?”  

“Yes,” Luca says, “It’s just that I can’t think of anything other than the proposal that would bother you. Unless you and Marc have…” He trails off. 

Vale folds his arms across his chest, irritated. They’re only five minutes away from home now. Vale is confident he can stall. “Unless me and Marc have what?”

“Have you been… talking?” It’s funny how euphemistic he makes it sound.

“No,” Vale lies. 

Luca works his jaw. “Okay,” he says, “It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me. But it’s good to talk to someone. It doesn't have to be any of us, or—”

“I’m still going to therapy,” Vale says, “You don’t have to talk around it.”

Luca nods. “That’s good. Okay. Well.”

He pauses to take the next right turn. Only a minute or so now. Luca slows the car down to a crawl.

“Look,” he says, “You would tell me if it was something serious, right? I mean, with your health.”

Vale takes a deep breath. “I’m not sick, Luca. You don’t have to worry about me.”

They pull into the parking lot. Luca gets out of the car without saying anything back.

/

Because his luck is terrible, his phone rings as soon as they step into the house. When he takes it out of his pocket and sees his screen, he thanks God he doesn’t have the number saved. Luca is peering over his shoulder at it. He waves the phone in the air, says, “Ah, I have to take this.” He hopes Luca didn’t catch the country code. He goes out to the balcony, slides the door shut and hunches over the railing. He can’t risk Luca overhearing this.

“Ciao ,” Marc says, “ Your appointment is tomorrow, yes? ”

Vale sighs. “Yes. Why do you ask?”

“I was wondering who you’re taking with you. It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me, just, you know. Wondering. ” Translation: He wants to know if it’s Uccio. If Uccio knows. 

Vale takes a deep breath. In, out. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean? Are you— I mean, you said you are not terminating, so— ”

“I’m not,” Vale says, cutting him off, deciding to bite the bullet, “That’s not— it’s just— no one knows, right now. Except you.”

There is silence over the line for a minute. “ You haven’t told anyone? Not even Salucci? ”

Vale flinches. “I was going to.”

“Will you— I mean, are you okay on your own? ”

That stings: the implication that Vale doesn’t know how to take care of their— of his— of the situation. 

“Of course,” Vale hisses, “I’m fine on my own. I just don’t know how to tell people. That’s all.”

“…Okay. If you say so. Look, I told you, if you need anything—”

“Call you, yes, I know. Is that all?”

Marc goes silent again. Vale looks out over his balcony, listening to his quiet breathing. Something twists in his stomach. 

“Okay, Valentino. Take care. ” He hangs up before Vale can say goodbye. Vale’s mouth is sour. His name on Marc’s mouth rings in his head. The last time they talked, he was still Vale. He doesn’t know why he even cares.

“Who was that?” Luca asks from the couch when Vale steps back inside. 

“No one,” Vale says, “Nothing.”